Who can say no to free stuff? Not many, I know.... However, typically, free stuff is generally just that....stuff. So, when BAC Credomatic Premium contacted me to once again (yes, not the first time) invite my wife and me to a private concert at the Museo de los Niños in honor of the upcoming Mother's Day Holiday, it did not take much to think about. I have to admit, however, I had no idea who the group was. Los Tenores is a group composed of 3 Costa Ricans and 1 Mexican artist, and in fairness to them, my lack of knowledge is more due to the fact that I simply do not follow local musicians. However, I have never been to a bad free concert, so I figured the worst that could happen would be a few free glasses or complimentary wine from BAC at the cocktail event prior to the show, and if we did not like the music, we could leave and no harm/no foul.
Needless to say, I had no expectations, other than to enjoy a nice evening with my wife, and that was a good enough start. We sat down and were surprised to see Teletica's infamous and extremely down-to-earth Edgar Silva as the host for the show. After a very brief and cordial intro, the group came out, backed by an orchestra of @ 10 in the background.
As these 4 and their orchestra started the show, my expectations were immediately blown away. I am not a fan of opera, and typically not a fan of classical music. I tend to need to be dancing, not to fall asleep to what I am listening to, but clearly this was an exception. Each of the 4 tenors had a unique style, one more high-pitched, one deep and guttural, one more pop, and one blasting opera-inspired voice; however, none was less intriguing than the other. The group did a fabulous job of combining their distinct tones and talents, but also allowing eaches own talents and strengths to truly shine, to allow the audience to really enjoy not only the group as a whole, but each individual artist's talent.
The show combined classic songs from Costa Rica, Spain, tangos from Gardel, a medley from Luis Miguel, La Bihina and many others whose name I will not attempt to butcher...a few classic opera songs were sung in Italian, and there were times, that it felt that they were literally going to sing the roof off the auditorium, including what seemed like a battle of the belts to see which of the 4 could truly bring the roof down on a chord from an Italian classic (yes, I know, if it were so classic, why don't I name the song....well, now you know how much I know about classical music....)
Hats off and a big thanks to Bac Credomatic PREMIUM for the token of appreciation of loyalty to their clients, and congratulations to Los Tenores for making a believer out of me.
While this event was invitation only, Los Tenores have an upcoming Mother's Day show, as well as a Christmas/Holiday show at the Teatro Nacional in San Jose. This event is another example of the culture and nightlife available to those who are willing to go out and taste it, even if you have to pay for your ticket.
*Images from Los Tenores' Facebook page.