By Julie Schwietert Collazo. October 29, 2012
"It was a dream 10 years in the making," said Enrique Perez Mesa, director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, after playing for a packed house at Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday night. "We have been thrilled by the American audience, which not only has an appreciation for the classical pieces we're playing as part of the program, but also seems to know the Cuban classics we're playing. It's very gratifying," Perez added. More than 70 members of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, founded in 1960, landed in the United States earlier this month, kicking off their historic US tour at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri. By the time they give their final US performance on November 11 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, the orchestra will have played a total of 21 shows for US audiences that are clearly eager to see and hear them. The general program includes an opening performance of the US and Cuban national anthems, followed by Gershwin's "Cuban Overture" and "Rhapsody in Blue." After an intermission, the performance continues with Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona's "La Comparsa" and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." Perez said that he and the orchestra, accompanied by acclaimed pianist Ernesto "Nachito" Herrera, adjust the program slightly depending on audience demographics and preferences; during their New York City performance, which was comprised of a primarily Latino audience, the orchestra performed a medley of Cuban favorites, including "Guantanamera" and "Manicero."