Journey to the origins of cinema with the explainer

Image of one of the school passes developed this Tuesday, at the OFGC headquarters, under the musical direction of Rafael Sánchez Araña. / C7

The OFGC school and family concerts premiere a show about music in the cinema that can be seen this Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

He went from being an attraction in his day to an almost unknown figure today. The explainer, a vital character in the silent film screenings of the early 20th century, is reborn this week with school and family concerts at the
Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria (OFGC) together with the Disa Foundation, which will have a performance open to the public
Saturday at 12:30 p.m.at the headquarters of the Plaza de la Música.

'The movie explainer', which developed its first two functions for schoolchildren on Tuesday, values ​​the figure of the character that gives it its title to offer attendees a tour of film music in its beginnings. «The show highlights something that we like to repeat many times and that is that
silent cinema was never silent", Explain
Humberto Armasresponsible for the original idea and the text together with
louis mirandadirector of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival.

During the show, which lasts one hour, the actor from Gran Canaria
Toni Báez brings the film narrator to life. "He does it fantastically. Together with Luis Miranda we created a peculiar character. A cocky guy, something of a scoundrel, who thus manages to connect with the young and adult audiences. Because the show is aimed at all kinds of audiences. There are 'gags' that are even focused on the musicians of the Gran Canaria Philharmonic”, underlines Humberto Armas.

The starting point of 'El explicador de cine' is located in the
International Bach Festival and in the film directed by Luis Miranda. «It all started a couple of years ago, taking advantage of the fact that it was going to be a hundred years since the death of the composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, who spent long periods in Gran Canaria. He was the first composer to write a soundtrack for a film and that is why we thought of doing something musically that would revolve around silent films », reveals Armas.

Those responsible for the project also took advantage of the fact that it was one hundred years since the birth of
Second of Chomón, a pioneer of silent films and film tricks, whose shorts from the early 20th century are screened during this scenic-musical event. «Then, Luis Miranda came up with the idea of ​​doing it around the explainer, who was a kind of charlatan who was essential at that time. Today we could compare him to a kind of sports commentator.
Sometimes the explainer was advertised much more than the silent film that was shown», highlights Humberto Armas.

As was the case at the time, when in the first two decades of the 20th century different shorts were mixed together during screenings, in 'El explicador del cine' the OFGC not only plays pieces by Saint-Saëns such as
'Danza macabre' and its 'Canary Waltz'. There are also works like
'The Sorcerer's Apprentice'from Dukas, and
'Pictures from an exhibition' de Mussorgsky.

«Rafael Sánchez Araña leads the OFGC wonderfully. The orchestra is in a splendid moment and its musicians have a great time during the show", says the co-author of this show, which has the support of the
Camera Obscura cycle from the film festival in the capital of Gran Canaria, where a similar evening premiered at the time, with Petit Lorena as narrator.

«The ideal is to let yourself go for an hour to
to be surprised with what at that time was never seen before. The schoolchildren from the first two passes connected very well with the show and the adults who go on Saturday I think they will too, "defends Humberto Armas about a show that he trusts will continue in the coming months.