Since Saturday, January 13, the Hotel Portillo, 2 ½ hours northeast of Santiago, has been welcoming 57 musicians who will fully focus on musical development for 10 days. Among them are two young members of the Brontë Quartet, an ensemble that plays symphonies from anime, movies, and video games.
By Emilia Aparicio (El Mostrador)
HAVANA TIMES – What do video game music and classical music have in common? Much like in cinema, a lot. They are musical compositions that can be enjoyed on their own; many fans appreciate symphonic concerts of films like those from Studio Ghibli, Star Wars, and other formats, such as video games and anime. This is precisely what the Brontë Quartet specializes in, performing concerts with music from Caroline, One Piece, The Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario World.
One of the quartet members, Jimmy Beas (25), explains that his approach to music was unusual. Unlike other violinists, no one in his family was a musician or played an instrument. However, since the age of ten, he became interested in video games. The local Cultural Center in San Fernando offered free internet for a certain amount of time, allowing him to enjoy what entertained him. During these visits, he heard an orchestra playing, and out of curiosity, he asked if he could enroll. From that moment, he began his musical career, started playing the violin, and understanding how compositions work.
However, the classes offered to him were not sufficient. “Suddenly, I started to realize that the violin was not unidirectional, as it wasn’t just about studying the music my teacher gave
