Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

5 P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches Speech XXVIII Filled with the deep emotion we feel each year when holding our Awards Ceremony and the satisfaction and joy of having among us people and institutions worthy of the most universal recognition, we meet once more in Oviedo, capital of this beloved land, Asturias. A land and a city that always offers us a warm and generous welcome, and which once more constitute the lighthouse that casts its light on a day such as this over the most generous dreams, the most heartfelt desires for the concord and progress of Earth’s inhabitants. We offer our most cordial congratulations to our Laureates, who, through their work and example, enrich human existence as well as instilling it with hope. Our deepest gratitude goes out to the personalities, representatives of the various institutions and all those who have wished to accompany us here today so that this great cultural celebration may grow in stature. We also welcome those who have come from abroad to this beautiful Principality of Asturias, home to historical exploits, unique cultural creations and privileged natural landscapes that all Asturians have known how to conserve and enhance. We also wish to especially thank those who help us to make our aspirations a reality: the Governments of Spain and of Asturias, Oviedo City Council, the Foundation’s Trustees and Patrons, the members of the different Juries, the media, the people of Asturias, who so fondly embrace our initiatives, and so many anonymous people who encourage us in our work and who feel a sense of solidarity with our noble ideals. The combination of all these parties has defined the exceptional path that our Foundation and its Awards has followed for almost thirty years now. This success is not a goal for us, regardless of how noble it might be, but rather a stimulus to go even further, because, as Don Quixote said, we prefer to set out even before sunrise. And we have wanted to tread our already long path humbly, while attempting at all times to be guided by caution, which, as an age-old saying goes, is a light whose clarity never goes out. Along this path, our Foundation has undergone a change in President. We offer our gratitude to Matías Rodríguez Inciarte for enthusiastically leading us into the future with the confidence with which he admires our past journey. Precisely in this regard, we wish to render tribute and express deep gratitude today to our dear José Ramón Álvarez Rendueles, who, in the footsteps of Plácido Arango and PedroMasaveu, presided over us for the last twelve years with great dedication, generosity and loyalty. I would now like to devote a few words to our Laureates, who are the true protagonists of this solemn event that our Foundation organizes and holds annually, which we see as a factory of dreams that come true to serve Spain, because the grandeur of a nation is also measured by what it generously gives to the world to make it a better place, to fight against all that would extinguish hope in humanity and its future. Music has always been conceived of as one of the higher arts, as possessing great transformational power, not only due to it being the expression of that which is beautiful, but also because it is undoubtedly the art which is closest to harmony, the most sublime medium for conveying feelings and communicating emotions. Since —as has been said in a thousand different ways— it is so very true that the mission of art transcends the horizon of aesthetics and vigorously projects itself onto other fields such as humanistic education, social promotion and ethical commitment. Good and beauty —as in the words of Octavio Paz— are inseparable. An example of this is the National Network of Youth and Children Orchestras of Venezuela, which has received the Award for the Arts. “The grandeur of a nation is also measured by what it generously gives to the world to make it a better place.” Watch video