“Anyone who doesn’t like music shouldn’t be trusted.”
—paraphrase of Shakespeare’s sonata
Do you love the poetry of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost? And what about choral music? There are few feelings that parallel the sound of a hundred voices lifted in song… The seventh event in this year’s Camerata Gordon Campbell series will showcase Maestro’s Campbell’s two favorite choral pieces.
Shakespeare actually has a poem called “Serenade to Music,” (from The Merchant of Venice) which was actually set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), perhaps England’s greatest modern composer. He composed nine symphonies and five operas, plus a lot of choral music. Of particular interest to me is that he traveled the English countryside at the turn of the 20th century to collect folk songs and carols, thus saving them for future generations. He also wrote hymns. His ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey near Purcell’s.
Randall Thompson, composer (1899-1994) of three symphonies and two string quartets, also wrote choral music his entire life—including the famous Allelujia, which premiered at Tanglewood (the Boston Symphony’s summer home) in 1940, and has opened each Tanglewood season ever since. Interesting trivia: Thompson was turned down when auditioning for the Harvard Glee Club as an undergrad.
Bringing to life the poetry of Frost and Shakespeare, and the musical compositions of Williams and Thompson, will be the Community Chorus of Culiacán, this Sunday, February 22nd, at noon in the Angela Peralta Theater. This is the second to the last performance in this year’s .
In our latest entry in the “Behind the Chamber” series, Maestro Gordon Campbell and his wife, Guianeya Román, share with us how their wedding served as indirect inspiration for this upcoming performance.
Queen Rocio IV and El Buki sing together on stage!
The biggest night of Carnavál 2015, Sueños de Momo/Dreams of Momo, was last night, Saturday. At what a night it was!!! The realest and most relaxed queen we’ve seen in our eight years here (did she ever enjoy her coronation!), an incredible show by Marco Antonio Solís (El Buki), and the best Combate Naval fireworks show EVER!
The coronation this year was only an hour long—a huge improvement, in my opinion. A few years ago when David Bisbal came, he was only allowed to perform in concert for an hour, because the pomp and circumstance had gone on so long. This year rocked! The dance numbers were crisp, we met the 25th and 50th anniversary queens (both of whom look unbelievably good!), Maestro Jorge González Neri was feted for his 25 years with Carnavál, and we were able to crown a queen, all in about an hour. Queen Rocio IV’s court had the theme of the Phoenix bird, and she was greeted by dancers representing Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. Click on any photo to enlarge or view a slideshow.
Momo, icon of this year’s Carnavál theme
Rocío Uribe becomes Queen Rocio IV of Carnavál 2015
Libia Zulema Farriols, celebrating 25 years since her coronation as Queen of the Floral Games
Libia Zulema Farriols, celebrating 25 years since her coronation as Queen of the Floral Games
Maestro Jorge González Neri, receiving Carnavál’s Award for Artistic Merit, for his 25 years of service designing our floats
Dance performances were crips
María Elena Rodríguez, celebrating 50 years since her coronation as Queen of the Floral Games
María Elena Rodríguez, celebrating 50 years since her coronation as Queen of the Floral Games
Rocío IV, Queen of Carnavál 2015
Governor Malova and Mayor Felton greeting Rocio IV
Fireworks from inside the stadium
Queen Rocio IV of Carnavál 2015
After the gorgeous ceremonies and the fireworks, we were introduced to Marco Antonio Solís, who sang for a little over two hours. He seemed sincerely thrilled to be in Mazatlán, and confused when the crowd booed our Governor Malova and Mayor Felton. And they booed them twice during the evening! I was impressed that El Buki knew the names of the Queen and her four princesses, as well as the Governor, though he flubbed Mayor Carlos Felton’s name. Oops.
El Buki sang, played guitar and drums, and danced a few numbers as well—one a cowboy-type number and the other with Carnavál dancers. His voice has aged very well and is still wonderful; we truly enjoyed the concert. I have always loved his music, and that he is such a popular composer as well as performer. It is an incredible feeling to be in a stadium with 15,000 people all singing along to a performer! Many thanks to our friend Jeanette who purchased tickets for us and got us such great seats!
If you read this blog you know that our friends Cathy and Bill have a good friend who impersonates El Buki here in town. We were thrilled that last night they gave him a huge cameo on the video screens—he was sitting right up front! Very cool!
El Buki is introduced
Rocio IV gets her first of two kisses (plus a hand kiss) from Marco Antonio
It rained on and off all evening, though it seemed to be drying up by the time we got home around 2:30. Fortunately it was just a persistent drizzle, and didn’t impact the concert or the fireworks.
Here you can see the rain
You can see the rain through the lights and smoke
You probably know as well as I do that if you want to see Combate Naval, do NOT attend Saturday night’s coronation. Unless, of course, like the Queen and other dignitaries, you have a police escort. It has always been very difficult to get through traffic and then through the security lines, in time to get into the party zone to see the fireworks after the coronation events in the stadium. With the new highway and Carnavál’s increasing popularity, however, it is next to impossible.
Last night a good friend was waiting to drive us straight to a friend’s house downtown. We were to watch the fireworks from their roof. We didn’t make it, despite our planning and best efforts. We still saw the fireworks, but not from our friend’s roof nor from inside the party zone. They were spectacular. I can only imagine how great they were on the ground in the zone!
Here is the Noroeste video, taken from the party zone:
In my opinion the crowds and the traffic during Carnavál have really gotten overwhelming. Carnavál de Mazatlán has long been one of the world’s most terrific events, accessible to the public and family-friendly. However, it has outgrown its historical spaces and ways, and we sincerely hope it will be re-envisioned a bit in future years. Olas Altas can not hold 35,000 people comfortably or safely. Last night people entering the party zone were refused admittance several times during the night, as the crowds inside were at capacity, forcing those outside into long, long lines of waiting. The crowds got upset so the ticket booths temporarily shut down. The Plaza Machado was also very crowded, and with a distinctively young, twenty-something crowd.
We can’t wait for the parade today! As usual, we have our chairs set up on the malecón, right at street level, so we can dance with the dancers as they come by. We had a visit from the Oficialia Mayor, who wanted to make sure we weren’t renting out chairs. We showed them our rental receipt, and assured them the chairs were all for friends and family. More on the parade later. Have a wonderful first parade, everybody!
God bless the drag queens! The Miss Universo Carnavál Mazatlán beauty pageant was last night, and we thoroughly enjoyed attending. I had no idea we had so many queens in Mazatlán! The Diamond Show Center in Olas Altas was filled, the huge lineup of judges included several of our expat favorites, and past, present and future queens were on hand—as were Rocio Durcal and Jenni Rivera (impersonators in drag)!
A past queen
The event center was filled
Some of the judges
Some of the judges
I have long wanted to attend this event, but 2015 is the first year I’ve been able to do so. It was much more serious/low-key than similar events I’ve attended in Tokyo, Frankfurt, or San Francisco, and naturally so.
I was warmly accompanied by a bevy of non-drag beauties, who hung out with me prior to and during the show. Ms. Ginger wrangled us primo seats as well, between the dressing room and the stage. Sadly for me, my camera battery died very early on in the evening, so many of the photos you see are taken with my old cell phone.
My grrrrrl power partners last night
Luis is back!
Our seats were between the dressing room and the stage
Our seats were between the dressing room and the stage
Our seats were between the stage and the dressing room
We had a drink at Copa de Leche and were able to watch as many of the show’s stars arrived. It felt like being on the red carpet!
Candidates and performers arrive
Candidates and performers arrive
“Beauty with a Purpose” organizes this annual fundraiser. Last night’s pageant was in benefit of this beauty, who is suffering facial paralysis. Past fundraisers have supported cancer and HIV patients, as well as those with heart conditions.
The Diamond Show Center is spacious and comfortable, and our service was outstanding! Thank you, Ramón!
Winner of the competition last night was Ms. Puerto Rico, center in the photo below. She had a huge crowd of very loud fans, who waved flags and giant letters spelling out her name, Fany.
Photo credit: Sandy Hill Pool
Our table’s favorite was Ms. Colombia, in the photo below. She won “Ms. Personality.” You can see why. Thanks to Sandy, a talented photographer who had front-row judge seats, for permission to use both these photos!
Photo credit: Sandy Hill Pool
The winner of the evening, to me, was the beautiful queen who, in the midst of her song, started to strip off her garments, her wig, even her bra, to reveal the man’s body beneath! God bless him for the confidence to do that on stage; it brought tears to the eyes of many of us in the audience. I unfortunately do not know his name to share with you. Thanks to Susie for the pic below, which she was able to catch from her cell phone.
Photo credit: Susie Morgon Lellero
Bless Mazatlán for all its diversity, beauty, and incredible people! It is a privilege to live here.
Last week we attended a mezcal tasting at Water’s Edge Bistro, that very beautiful, tranquil and delicious restaurant in Centro Histórico at Sixto Osuna 48, on the corner of Niños Heroes.
Heiman Russek Negrete, from Mezcal Minotauro, joined us from Durango. Mezcal Minotauro distills organic mezcales made with wild agaves/maguey plants. Heiman gave us a brief presentation on the history of mezcal, in very good English, shared with us information on the types of magueys, the states in Mexico that are authorized to use the appellation “mezcal,” and he also told us a bit about the production process. One cool bit of trivia I learned was that Minotauro has been able to play a role in saving a couple of species of maguey that were thought to be lost. He also showed us what he said is his favorite book on mezcal. I took a photo of its cover, so if you are interested, you can look into obtaining it.
Chef Alastair talks about the food
The best book on mezcal, according to Heiman
Some of the types of maguey
Heiman had four different mezcals to share with us. Chef Alastair and sous-chef Tony put together three small plates for us that were magnificent, and combined well with the mezcales. The first mezcal was white, young, and accompanied by a jicama taco of aguachile. The second mezcal was actually my favorite; the botana served with it was a mini-tostada with shredded meat—very savory. Unbelievably to me, I don’t have a photo of the second flight, but it was delicious. I guess I was enjoying it too much to fuss with the camera! The third mezcal was also very good. We drank it with shrimp and grilled vegetables on toast points. Heiman then served us a fourth mezcal as well. After that, I guarantee you I wasn’t taking any more photos! Click on any photo below to enlarge it or view it as a slideshow. The food was all outstanding, the event was very enjoyable, and what a value at 200 pesos!
We love Water’s Edge. Alastair Porteous is a terrific chef who believes in farm-to-table sourcing, and his wife, Tracey Grantham, very ably runs the front of the house. It doesn’t hurt that another of our favorite local chefs, Tony Acuña Pérez, is the sous-chef. We also love the ambiance: the restaurant is in an historic home that was restored by Mark Jay. It is spacious, with two large rooms and a gorgeous private patio in the back. They have a stellar dinner menu, and lunch specials that are unbelievable values: drink, salad and main course for 100 pesos! Water’s Edge serves Sunday brunch, and Alastair conducts cooking classes. Tracey tells me that for Carnavál they are going to have some small foods outside, with easy-to-eat-and-go convenience for revelers. The restaurant will also, of course, be open.
Corner of Sixto Osuno and Niños Heroes
Sous-chef Tony
I urge you both to enjoy Water’s Edge, supporting high quality local cuisine, and to get on their list for special events. We really enjoyed the evening, and learned a lot as well. Plus, we are now looking forward to a mezcal tour of Durango, with a most amiable host and his wife!
Those of us who are privileged to live in Mazatlán either look forward to Carnavál as the best event all year, or hightail it out of town as the tourists pour in to enjoy this most wonderful event. Carnavál here is a festival of the people. Teenagers rehearse their dance moves for months, and joyfully don their costumes for the big parade days. There are events for children, for adults, and for the whole family to enjoy. Each year the party zone includes dozens of live bands playing each of the six nights of Carnavál, plus four main concerts/coronations.
Each of the coronations involves the pomp and circumstance of the coronation itself, dance performances and music, a concert by a major national or international performer, and a gorgeous fireworks show. Attendance at at least one if not several of these is a must!
The schedule of the main events for Carnavál doesn’t change year-to-year, although the dates do. In 2015 Carnavál de Mazatlán is February 12th through 17th. It is always the six days prior to Ash Wednesday.
PLEASE NOTE: In 2015 on Monday night it appears there will NOT be a second fireworks show on the malecón as in prior years, but instead a concert by Espinoza Paz in the Olas Altas party zone at 10 pm.
In the past, I’ve published a schedule to help people remember what happens when and where. In this age of infographics, it’s now possible for me to create and share one with you. I hope you’ll print it off for easy reference, and that it will help you plan your very busy and fun-filled week! If you click on the infographic below, it’ll take you to a page where you’ll see it larger, and you can view it even larger again in “presentation mode” on the upper left of that screen. This is my first time to make an infographic, so thank you for helping learn to do it as well as possible.
Don’t forget that we have loads of posts about past Carnavál events, as well as numerous videos on the VidaMaz YouTube channel. Here’s the infographic; please share it around!
¡VidaMaz! 