Next week, on Tuesday, 23 July at 9 pm, the 72nd Ljubljana Festival will host a concert at the Križanke Summer Theatre featuring ADDA Simfònica Alicante (the Symphony Orchestra of the Auditorium of the Provincial Council of Alicante (ADDA)). The winners of the Spanish Grammys, as well as Grammy and Latin Grammy nominees, will perform under the baton of Josep Vicent in a concert dedicated to the works of Chick Corea.
ADDA Simfònica Alicante’s Chick Corea Symphony Tribute Ritmo album has recently won two awards from the Spanish Academy of Music (Academia de la Música de España), in the categories of Best Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Album. It has also made history among symphony orchestras in Spain with five Grammy nominations. The album pays tribute to the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea, who won 27 Grammys.
The great American composer and keyboard master Chick Corea was one of the pioneers of the jazz fusion genre, and a recipient of the coveted title of NEA Jazz Master. In his 50 years of performing, his incredible creativity secured him the status of a living legend. The two posthumous Grammys he won in 2022 were a fitting end to his prolific musical career. In total, he received 67 Grammy nominations, placing him fourth on the list of most nominated musicians for the award.
Featuring music from the award-winning album dedicated to the works of Chick Corea, ADDA Simfònica Alicante will present itself in Slovenia in a concert with the same title. Before coming to Ljubljana, the Spanish orchestra will perform at the Fijazz Jazz Festival, which takes place every July in Alicante with major international figures from the world of jazz. So far, this kind of concert has only been staged twice, in 2021 and 2023, and as conductor Josep Vicent explained to the Spanish website El Español: “From the moment we finished the project, the media and festivals outside Spain started talking about wanting to plan it, and when they could do it.”
Josep describes the event in Alicante as historic. “I am thrilled to be performing with this great ensemble again. On Saturday, 20 July, we will all meet again and this will serve as a warm-up for one of the most important festivals of the European summer, in Ljubljana,” he said, expressing his joy at performing at the Ljubljana Festival. In the interview, he went on to reveal how he managed to bring musicians together in 2021, when restrictions were in place due to the pandemic. “If you look at it logically, you’d think that it was definitely a difficult time, and even the worst time.” But due to the love he felt for the project, he still managed to do a tribute to Chick Corea. “It happens the same as in love, because when you feel inspired, you don’t see the problems. And for me, this is a project I’ve dreamt of since I was very young and I knew it would be very special.”
The 12 tracks that make up this historic album prove beyond doubt that this is a project with great variety. “It reinforced my idea that diversity is a great asset, that openness with a desire to learn is a great asset, and that there are no boundaries between styles, the only boundaries are people,” Josep said. Ljubljana thus offers a unique opportunity for you to experience a concert featuring an album that has gone down in music history.
