Fundación EDPNews

The EDP Foundation sponsored the opening concert at the 2015 FIS, which this year included the participation of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra on the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation and, under the baton of the conductor from Oviedo, Paul Gonzalez, it played "El Sombrero de Tres Picos" (The Three-Cornered Hat) by Manuel de Falla and "The Firebird" by Igor Stravinsky.

The concert, which was held at the Palacio de Festivales de Santander, was attended by the new government of the autonomous community of Cantabria in full led by its president, the mayor and members of the municipal council, the president of the Parliament of Cantabria, the government delegate, representatives from the political parties and various personalities from the cultural, social and business world in Cantabria, marking the beginning of the 64th edition of the festival.

The RTVE Orchestra was formed on May 27, 1965 as one of the youngest radio and television orchestras in Europe. It was officially presented at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, together with its founding conductor, Igor Markevitch, with a programme that included works by Prokofiev, Wagner, Falla and Beethoven.

After Markevitch, this post was held by Antoni Ros-Marbà (1965-1967), Enrique García Asensio(1965-1984), Odón Alonso (1968-1984), Miguel Angel Gómez Martínez (1984-1987), Arpad Joó(1988-1990), Sergiu Comissiona (1990-1998), Enrique García Asensio (1998-2001) and Adrian Leaper(2001-2010). Since September 2011, the functions of chief conductor have been carried out by maestro Carlos Kalmar.