Bogotá, known as the Athens of South America, is the capital of Colombia and one of the most important metropolis of the continent with near 10 million people. It is the second largest capital city of South America after Buenos Aires and the third largest city after Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo. Bogotá is an industrial and commercial center. It is a city of universities, international congresses, finances, government and technology.
The city that created the Ciclo-Vía, an idea to rescue the public space in modern cities for the people, closing big avenues in holidays to be used only by pedestrians and bicycles. Cities like Vancouver and New York have copied the idea from Bogotá with the guidance of its former mayor.
Bogotá is also one of the highest capitals of the world, located at 2,650 meters above the sea level, on a huge Andean plateau known as Savanah of Cundinamarca and Boyacá with the size of Swizerland. It has a cool climate in the middle of the tropic. It was the natural space of the biggest confederation of tribes of South American before the arrival of the Spaniards: the Muiscas.
The Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá that was founded in 1967, is in China and Italy this month to celebrate Christmas. It is the first time that the well-known musician group of the capital of Colombia is offering a concert abroad. The place is the recently remodeled Concert Hall of the Tianjin City in China.
In Tianjin the group opened the first of 14 concerts that brought them to the millenarian Asia and the old continent. China listens the Colombian orchestra in Beijing, Shanghai and Wuhan as well.
Maestro Lior Shambad, the director, will lead interpretations from the musical repertoire of Maestro Lucho Bermúdez, Alejandro Tovar, Leandro Díaz (Matilde Lina), Mario Garena (Yo me llamo cumbia – My name is Cumbia), José María Ansís (Feria de Manizales – The Manizales Fair) and Jorge Villamil (Luna Roja – Red Moon). It includes also classic pieces of Dvorak (Symphony of the New World), Korsakov (The Spanish Caprice), Piazzola (Tangazo), Stravinski (Bird of Fire), Lu Zheng and Hongye Ma (Greetings from Beijing) and Bizet.
One of the best philharmonics of Colombia went over 14,945 kilometers (9,286 miles) that separates the Andean capital of Bogotá from the Chinese metropolis of Beijing in 40 hours of flights. According with the official website of the Philharmonic, 30 boxes were designed in Germany and United States to transport all the instruments. The boxes close by pressure and they have special valves to take out the air and protect the instruments from temperature changes. 10 cellos and a tube traveled sat down in cabin as it is traditional in any philharmonic international travel in other countries. Besides the classical ones, the Colombian philharmonic brought with them also instruments of the national folklore like güiro, castañuelas, maracas and congas.
Air France, the air company that moved the Colombian well loved Colombian musicians, declared:
‘It is the first time in the history of the airlines that it is moved a so big cargo with so careful like this one’.
Bogotá
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