Piano works by Jesús Rueda, a novelty from Naxos in September

Posted by Leticia Martin on September 13, 2009  |  1 Comment

With symphonies, string quartets, chamber concertos, operas and a great deal of piano music to his name, Jesús Rueda is one of the most representative composers of Spanish music alive today. His piano works, performed by Ananda Sukarlan on this recording, are on the virtuoso lines of composers such as Chopin, Liszt, Ravel and Prokofiev.

His piano compositions range from the dazzling firework display present in Mephisto, based on Liszt’s first waltz, to the two sonatas, the second of which is influenced by jazz and Bali Kecak dance rhythms from Indonesia, to the delightfully sensual tonal palette

Mexico-Spain Contemporary Music Festival

Posted by Leticia Martin on February 12, 2009  |  No Comments

After a 25-year hiatus, Mexico and Spain once again co-organize a festival of contemporary music, this February 17 to 28, to present the leading exponents of the genre from both countries, along with poetry recitals and master classes in composition.

The new Spanish-Mexican Festival of Contemporary Music will revive artistic exchange and end a quarter of a century of isolation and lack of awareness of the work of musicians from either nation, says the director of the event, Marcela Rodriguez. “Now,” she adds, “we are going to reactivate the exchange and presentation of the latest from genre, with works of high quality in terms of composition and execution. They are fresh and define the vision and influences of each of the participants.”

(Castellano) La Tierra de Jesús Rueda, en Noticias Cuatro

Posted by Marcel Soleda on December 3, 2008  |  1 Comment

We are sorry but this entry is only available in Castellano and Català for the time being.

Madrid Premiere of “La Tierra”, by Jesús Rueda

Posted by Leticia Martin on November 14, 2008  |  No Comments

As part of its current season, the National Orchestra of Spain, under the baton of Pedro Halffter, presents in Madrid La Tierra (The Earth) by Jesús Rueda. The piece was commissioned by the Madrid conductor to complement Gustav Holst’s suite The Planets, and originally premiered in June 2007, performed by the Seville Symphony Orchestra.

In composing the suite, Holst drew on myriad sources, mixing symbolism, astrology and even chemistry, with more earthly matters such as the horrors of war (it was written during World War I). This is especially evident in Mars, a score that has been used often as background music, most famously perhaps in “Star Wars”.

Over time, much of the symbolism attached to The Planets has been lost, leaving its most universal and astronomical facets, from which Jesús Rueda drew inspiration for his composition.

La Tierra.mp3

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Jesús Rueda’s La Tierra, reduced version for ensemble, premieres in Madrid

Posted by admin on October 8, 2008  |  No Comments

“La Tierra” (TR634), written in 2006 by the Madrid composer Jesús Rueda on commission from the Seville Symphony Orchestra, the Autor Foundation and the Spanish Association of Symphony Orchestras (AEOS), is to be presented this season in Madrid in reduced version for instrumental group. The 3rd movement of Sinfonía 3 becomes an independent work with the intention of completing the cycle The Planets by Holst.

The Plural Ensemble – which commissioned the reduced version – conducted by Fabián Panisello, performs at the Chamber Hall of the Madrid National Auditorium this 6 October. The programme also includes Mahler’s Song of the Earth in its reduced version by Arnold Schoenberg.

New release by Jesús Rueda: Second Quartet

Posted by admin on June 26, 2008  |  No Comments

Tritó announces the addition to its catalogue of a new work by the Madrid composer Jesús Rueda, winner of the 2004 National Music Prize and one of the most singular figures in Spanish contemporary music: Quartet No. 2 “Desde las sombras” (TR168). Dedicated to the Casals Quartet, who premiered the work in Valladolid on 15 April, 2003, it is conceived of as a continuation of Haydn’s “Seven Last Words”.

The three acts of the quartet evoke Christ’s life in the next world, which appears in apocryphal writings, based on texts from The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey and The Aeneid, although in this case the key character in the work is secondary and only gains significance once known, as additional information.