Eduardo Ocón will be honored this Lent in Málaga with two grand concerts.

Lent in Málaga will once again place sacred music at the heart of its cultural programming with two concerts that will pay tribute to the composer Eduardo Ocón (Benamocarra, 1834-Málaga, 1901) on the 125th anniversary of his death and will highlight the musical heritage written for Holy Week.

The first of these concerts will be held this Friday, March 13, at 7:30 PM, in the Cathedral of Málaga, which will host the performance of Eduardo Ocón's Miserere. The piece will be performed by the Málaga Opera Choir and the Málaga Symphony Orchestra under the musical direction of Pablo Guzmán Palma.

This musical event is part of the 'Lent in San Julián' cultural program, organized by the Brotherhoods of Holy Week in Málaga with the sponsorship of the Provincial Council through the Málaga de Cultura brand and the collaboration of the Cathedral Chapter.

Ocón's Miserere, a youthful work written for the Málaga Cathedral and inspired by the penitential psalm of the same name, is one of the most outstanding religious compositions by the musician from Málaga and is part of the city's historical musical legacy.

The musical programming will continue this Sunday, March 15, with the Extraordinary Lent Concert by the Málaga Municipal Music Band, which will start at 8:30 PM, at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on Compañía Street. The Santa María de la Victoria Choir will also participate in this event.

In this case, the concert will be conducted by Francisco M. Haro Sánchez and will open with Concerto No. 1 in A major for clarinet by Johann Melchior Molter, performed by soloist Antonio Ángel Martín Sarria. Compositions such as 'Airoso' by Johann Sebastian Bach; 'Pax Malacitana' by Francisco Javier Moreno Ramos; and 'El Mayor Dolor' by Daniel Albarrán will also be performed. During the concert, the piece 'Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder', composed by José Iglesias González, will be premiered.

The second part of the concert will also include Eduardo Ocón's 'Miserere'; 'Virgen y Madre del Amor' by Gabriel Robles, 'Santísimo Cristo Resucitado' by Antonio Jurado Pérez; and the 'Symphonic Poem Holy Week in Málaga' by Perfecto Artola.

The Santa María de la Victoria choir, founded in 1969 by Manuel Gámez and directed since 2016 by José Eugenio, has a wide repertoire of religious and secular a cappella music and has made recordings for Radio Nacional de España, including the Miserere by Ocón.

Brotherhood Bands

Additionally, during these days, other Lenten concerts will also be held at different locations in the city. Thus, this Friday, March 13, there will be a concert by the Jesús Cautivo cornet and drum band, organized by the Salesian Brotherhood, at 8:30 PM in the sanctuary of María Auxiliadora.

On Saturday, the Virgen del Rocío music band will perform at the XLIII Exaltation 'A Carnation for El Rocío', which will be delivered by Juan Gutiérrez Salazar, at 7:30 PM at the brotherhood house, and on the same day, the Zamarrilla music band will hold its Lenten concert at 8 PM, in the parish of Amargura.

Lastly, this Sunday the brotherhood music will continue with a concert by the Jesús Cautivo cornet and drum band, at 12 PM, in the Edgar Neville Auditorium of the Provincial Council, on the occasion of the proclamation of the Cofradía del Cautivo, which will be delivered by Francisco Cabello, and on the same day the Paz music band will perform at 7 PM, in the Church of Santo Cristo de la Salud, and the Cruz del Humilladero music band, at 8:30 PM, in the parish of the Assumption.

In the musical field, it is also worth noting that last Sunday the final of the VI International Competition for Processional Marches Compositions for Holy Week in Málaga 'Maestro Perfecto Artola' was held in the church of San Julián. José Antonio Almahano Rodríguez won the first prize with his composition 'El Cristo de los Afligidos'. This competition is organized by the Miraflores and Gibraljaire music band, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.