Emotional and spectacular tribute concert to the Musician Brigade General Francisco Grau Vegara, at the Monumental Theater in Madrid

Emotional and spectacular concert held on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 23, in homage to General Francisco Grau Vegara Musician Brigade, at the Monumental Theater in Madrid. The event was chaired by the Queen of Spain, Doña Sofía, who was joined by a great friendship with Grau Vegara, and who was accompanied by her widow, Gloria Ramírez Huete, and by the Chief of Defense Staff (JEMAD), Teodoro López Calderón.

The mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, the vice mayor and councilor for Tourism, Rosario Martínez, the mayor of Culture, Antonio Quesada, and the councilor for Festivities, Concha Sala, have attended this tribute concert in which up to 70 voices have been present of outstanding choirs from Torrevieja who have sung with the emotion of memory to the great master Francisco Grau Vegara, who directed them especially in the concerts of "Primavera en Palacio" together with the Music Unit of the Royal Guard and that was for 30 years ( 1989-2018) president of the jury of the Torrevieja International Habaneras and Polyphony Contest. In addition, Grau Vegara was the Golden Shield of the Contest in 2004 and the Diego Ramírez Pastor Award that same year.

Eduardo Dolón has described this day as historic for Torrevieja, due to its importance and the assistance of the Queen of Spain and numerous military and civil authorities. The mayor has highlighted the figure of Francisco Grau as one of the leaders in the evolution of the Torrevieja International Habaneras and Polyphony Contest, having been president of its jury for 30 years. For Eduardo Dolón “today those of us who have been able to enjoy this spectacular concert in Madrid have felt Torrevieja in vein”.

In the concert, which has had two distinct parts, a joint music unit from the Madrid Marine Infantry Group (AGRUMAD), the Civil Guard, the General Air Command and the Immemorial Regiment of the Rey nº 1. Already, in the second part, the Music Unit of the Royal Guard has performed, directed by Armando Bernabéu Andreu from Torrevieja, and the choirs of the different choirs of Torrevieja.

In this tribute concert to Francisco Grau Vegara, up to 70 members of the “José Hódar” Choral Mass have participated, created in 1955 to take part in the first Torrevieja Habaneras Contest; also from the Coral Torrevejense "Francisco Vallejos", and joined by members of the Choral Group "Manuel Barberá", Choir and Orchestra "Maestro Ricardo Lafuente" and the Orfeón de Torrevieja, created in 2007.

As an anecdotal note and outside the protocol of the concert, he has highlighted the words that his son Francis has addressed to the public, who on behalf of his family has thanked the great expectation that the event has had, especially to the assistance of Doña Sofía, the authorities civilians and military personnel and the musicians and choirs of Torrevieja who have attended exclusively to participate in it.

Francisco Grau Vegara, born in Bigastro, began his higher studies with Master Massotti in the subjects of Composition, Orchestra Conducting, Choir Conducting, Music Pedagogy and Musicology, disciplines in which he graduated as Senior Professor, with the highest qualifications.

By selection of merits, from 1988 to 2008 he was titular director of the Music Unit of the Royal Guard, directing concerts in the most important European capitals, achieving the 1993 international Liderman trophy for the best musical director. Since its creation he was director of the Military Academy of Music, where he taught the disciplines of Direction and Orchestration, until 2001.

In this tribute, it is worth highlighting his love for Torrevieja, with the so-called “Noche de Habaneras” from the score “Noches alicantinas”. The melody of the well-known habanera “Torrevieja”, by the maestro Ricardo Lafuente Aguado, is the guiding vehicle of the entire musical movement.

In the interpretation of the patriotic song "Madrileños" the representatives of the choirs of Torrevieja Masa Coral "José Hódar", Coral Torrevejense "Francisco Vallejos", Coral "Manuel Barberá", and Choir "Maestro Ricardo Lafuente" and Orfeón de Torrevieja participated .

The end of the concert had two types of tribute: the first intimate, with the sounds of the Military Prayer ring, with the sadness for the loss of the thousands of soldiers who gave their lives for Spain; and the second is a light of hope for praising the wonders that our country has through the song created by the Torrevieja teacher Ricardo Lafuente, “Soy español”.

As always in these big concerts, there have been encores. Specifically, a work dedicated to his son Francis, entitled “For the honor of Spain”, and to end the Music Unit of the Royal Guard accompanied by voices from Torrevieja, he has performed the well-known military march “Las Corsarias”.