Viva la Vida – Chamber Society
Viva la Vida – Sociedad de Camara (Chamber Society)
A project that is born of friendship, music, spontaneity and joy, the Chamber Society awakens new ways of perceiving, interpreting, and sharing music. When Alejandro Saul tapped me for this adventure, I didn’t think twice (even though I was pressed for time that day). For laughter and pleasure the door is always open, however. Today, I want to share with you something beautiful that blossomed during quarantine from this interactive project through the lens of the person who took the initiative in making it happen. Alejandro Saul, cellist, arranger, and director of this project, gives us the details.
The Chamber Society creates a meeting place where musicians from all over the world can find a platform from which to perform. Through music in small and medium formats it also unites artists who specialize in trends and genres so that there are no boundaries,” says Saul. “It’s also a way to come together through music where, for instance, a Swiss artist can coordinate and prepare a project with a Cuban artist and make it a reality under the Society’s aegis.
Alejandro Saul Martinez studied with maestros Gladys Lo and Juan Verdera in Havana, Cuba, and, since 2017, with the cellist Asier Polo in Spain. He won second place in the Concurso Nacional de Violonchello UNEAC 2009, an institution of which he is a member since 2012. He has performed as a soloist with all the orchestras in Havana, His work takes him from historical interpretations to experiments with jazz and electronic music. In 2015 he finalized a discography production of Cuban cello pieces and earned the cubadisco prize as a soloist. He was in charge of the musical arrangements for the mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Havana in 2015. His works and arrangements have been interpreted by directors such as Leo Brower, Daiana Garcia and Jose Antonio Mendes. He has been producer of varios records with the Colibri label. He is the winner of the fellowships Igartza 2017-2018, Asociacion de interpretes de Espana, and the Ramon Bilbao codirected by Ara Malikian.
Why did you choose Viva la Vida as the title of this coming together?
Viva la Vida is one of the most well known musical themes of the rock band Coldplay, it’s a song that carries a charge of energy, of vitality, of the need to dance and vibrate. Using such a theme in these times comes from the need to say (in the language of art) that we are betting on life, which is a gift, that in spite of this virus, which has changed life for all humanity, we will come back together. That’s why the smiles, the good vibes, and the positivity of the theme.
Viva la Vida is also one of the last paintings by the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. This artist experienced much pain, but gifted us with a ‘Viva la Vida,’ because life is always worth it.
What message would you like to convey to the world with this initiative?
One video is of hope. A message of joy, of coming together, of a hug that is suspended but only because the next will be stronger. Even from our homes under anomalous circumstances, enjoy, laugh, dance, listen to music, get emotional. In short, live!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGryPzhqVW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_v5IVYh6vI/
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