The Cuarteto Arriaga at the Donostia-San Sebastián Musical Fortnight

Posted by Cristina Martí on August 19, 2011  |  Leave a comment

As many of you will already know, the Donostia-San Sebastián Musical Fortnight has just taken place, an event with a wide-ranging programme where a large number of performers gather together at what is the oldest festival in Spain, dating back to 1939. It offers symphonic concerts, ballets, early music, chamber and contemporary music in diverse venues such as churches, the Palacio de Miramar, and the splendid Auditorio Kursaal, designed by Rafael Moneo.

Precisely in the chamber music hall at this auditorium, the Cuarteto Arriaga gave a concert on 24 August. The group presented an eclectic programme that included both classical and 20^th century works, performing pieces by the composer from Vitoria, Jesús Guridi (Quartet nº 1 in G Major), Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (Quartet nº 2 in A Major), the virtuoso Italian celloist Luigi Boccherini (Quartet G159 in C minor, Op. 2, Nº1), and also Vistas al mar, a composition with a marked Mediterranean flavour, by Eduard Toldrá. This composer was an essential model for the Catalan music of the last century and he and Guridi were close friends. The programme was performed a second time on 26 August in the Parque Lamuza in the town of Llodio in Alava, as part of the “Quincena Andante”.

Consisting of the violinists Aitzol Iturriagagoitia and Rodrigo Bauzá, the violist Miguel Ángel Lucas and the cellist Damien Ventula, the Cuarteto Arriaga brings together four key figures in the world of European chamber music and their wide international experience is confirmed by the concerts they give all over Europe.

Escucha aquí audios de Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga

The Cuarteto Arriaga

The end of the music business bubble? By Javier Pérez Senz

Posted by Javier Pérez Senz on June 30, 2011  |  Leave a comment

Not all effects of the economic crisis are necessarily bad. At least, not as far as classical music is concerned. After years of plenty, many managers and artistic directors of major concert halls, theatres and festivals, who in recent years have allowed the prices in the Spanish classic market to shoot up without restraint, paying astronomical figures without batting an eyelid when hiring soloists, conductors and orchestras that accept more modest fees in other countries, now have no choice but to tighten their belts.

The fall in revenue, reduced subsidies and the increasingly feared decline in ticket sales reflect a stark reality that demands a drastic change in music policy at state, regional and local levels.

There is no sense in denying the crisis exists, although some managers, especially those who risk nothing personal because they programme out of the public purse, try to cover up the real drop in ticket sales though the mass distribution of free guest tickets. But the truth is that with or without guest tickets, the concerts almost never sell out at the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Auditori and the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Austerity is the only sensible course that will ensure the survival of the current music offer, but the criteria for containment clash with that disastrous practice of scheduling the programme by waving around the cheque book.

In fact, in the current season organised by Ibercàmera, which is the private concert promoter with the most season-ticket holders in Barcelona, the tickets only sold out at the last concert, thanks to the drawing power of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the presence of a living legend on the piano, the octogenarian Aldo Ciccolini and a programme that included popular classics such as Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 23, and Beethoven’s Eroica. As for the Liceu, the aspect of the concert hall during recitals and concerts, with rows of empty seats, does not invite optimism.

Changes are needed. Regarding programming criteria, if we stick to the same old repertoire with the excuse that this is what the public likes, we will only end up further emptying the halls out of pure boredom, because an important sector of music-lovers want something different. It is necessary to draw a balance, and this must include contemporary music, whether we like it or not, because creation is vital for the future of a country’s music.

Austerity is the only sensible course that will ensure the survival of the current music offer, but the criteria for containment clash with that disastrous practice, so ingrained in some halls, theatres and Spanish festivals, of scheduling the programme by waving around the cheque book. If a private promoter is willing to go broke by paying the exorbitant fees demanded by the divas of the music market– and a warning to the readers: those who charge more are not always the best, although the advertising says so – that seems to us just perfect. But when it comes to public funds, if the singers, soloists and directors in vogue are out of reach, then it is best to look for alternatives rather than agreeing to pay fees that are irreconcilable with national wages or box office takings.

If the crisis helps us recover the pleasure of music without being enslaved by the market, so that more attention is paid to the lesser stars, variety in the repertoire and support for new compositions, then the future of music will be much fairer and more sustainable.

The most important summer music festivals in Catalonia have already tightened their belts this year: the curb in spending is noticeable, and also a greater presence of local artists, groups and orchestras in the programming. The best-known programmes are also seeking ways of making cuts; both the Liceu and the OBC have sensibly reduced their offer.

Now, what is needed is one more turn of the screw to reduce, in every sense, the figures in music, starting with lower fees and ticket prices to make a move in the right direction and give more consideration to the music itself and less to the simple star appeal of the divas.

A summer with lots of music, by Javier Pérez Senz

Posted by Javier Pérez Senz on June 28, 2011  |  Leave a comment

Catalunya still boasts a wide offer of summer festivals. It’s true that there is not always a clear programming policy, and all too often the proposals consist of presenting several concerts without a common theme or clear artistic focus, but the offer still stands, despite the crisis.

In the case of Barcelona, the situation is rather depressing. In fact, it is a city where classical music almost disappears in the summer. Only the Gran Teatre del Liceu offers a quality programme during July: the end of the season includes concerts of Tamerlane by Handel, with Plácido Domingo and Bejun Mehta in the cast, and Daphne, by Richard Strauss, with Pablo González making his debut at the Liceu at the helm of the OBC.

The Festival Grec has increased its classical offer, traditionally rather scarce, under the artistic direction of Ricardo Szwarcer, and forthcoming events include an opera concert with Ainhoa Arteta and the Cadaqués Orchestra under the baton of Jaime Martin, with Puccini featuring prominently in the programme.

Incidentally, the great Basque soprano has just released an extraordinary recital with the pianist Malcolm Martineau, which is her debut with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label. The repertoire includes pieces by Charles Gounod, Georges Bizet, Reynaldo Hahn and an exciting section devoted to the great Spanish song repertoire including the Cinco canciones negras by Xavier Montsalvatge, four Tonadillas al estilo antiguo, by Enric Granados and the Poema en forma de canciones, op. 19, by Joaquín Turina.

Fortunately, despite the crisis, many summer festivals remain active, but the compulsive search for new audiences and the blind obsession with eclecticism as a programming formula has swept away many of the hallmarks of some of the most traditional venues.

The same cannot be said of the classical offer at the Auditori – reduced to its minimum expression, although this year the Sónar has included a magnificent homage to Steve Reich – or the Palau de la Música Catalana, with an offer exclusively intended to attract tourists.

Fortunately, despite the crisis, many summer festivals remain active, but the compulsive search for new audiences and the blind obsession with eclecticism as a programming formula has swept away many of the hallmarks of some of the most traditional venues. Where once classical music reigned supreme – because most festivals around Catalonia began as festivals specializing in classical music – world music, jazz, pop and other genres now share the limelight.

The trend is not necessarily bad, but caution is needed and the occasional mega concert in search of mass audiences is not to be entirely trusted. One thing is to harness the pull of the media stars so as to be able to display the sold-out sign, something legitimate and commendable, and another thing is to overlook the rest, the promotion of new values and local productions as a sign of identity. In this sense, we can applaud the consistency, rigour and unquestionable quality of the Torroella de Montgrí International Festival of Music and also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Festival Castell de Peralada, which this year returns to its origins with a sensational programme focused on opera.

This summer also counts on two new events, conceived with the idea of supporting very distinct artistic proposals. On the one hand, the Festival de Música Antiga dels Pirineus has been launched with plenty of momentum, fruit of the joint efforts of different institutions in the Pyrenees. Its programming policy is clear and attractive: drawing on the beauty of the rich architectural heritage in the area and its suitability as a backdrop for early music, in order to offer evenings with musical personality, presented by the best bands and singers specialised in the historical performance of the early and baroque repertoire . And, importantly, the idea is to make it a key event for both the international promotion of the best Catalan ensembles and soloists and the dissemination of our musical heritage.

The second proposal also combines architectural beauty with music and includes gastronomy as a novel incentive. This is the Modernist soirees in the unique setting of the Monestir de San Benet, a proposal that offers visitors the chance to enjoy a concert of “Modernist” music in the monastery cellars and, optionally, during the same evening visit the “Modernist” space dedicated to Ramon Casas at Món Sant Benet and enjoy supper in the gardens.

Commitment to music, by Javier Pérez Senz

Posted by Javier Pérez Senz on June 9, 2011  |  Leave a comment

There are things that stir the music-lover’s memory, which bring back reminiscences of that irreplaceable experience which consists of listening to live music in its natural environment, the auditorium. For many fans, the recent recording of the symphonic rhapsody Catalonia, by Isaac Albéniz, at the hands of Jaime Martin and the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) will come as a pleasant surprise: the discovery of a score that exudes freshness, simplicity and melodic charm. For others, it will imply the rediscovery of a work that would be an obligatory part of the concert repertoire in any civilized country, but here, sadly, is not.

Its audition allows listeners to refresh their impressions and memories of great conductors and composers who, throughout their careers, demonstrated their belief in the value of this piece by their acts, without getting caught up in the widespread and sterile debate about Albéniz’s poor reputation as an orchestrator. Certainly, it is a marvel of refinement, but, when performed with full conviction of its merits, the listener is immediately captivated by the simplicity, the melodic inspiration and eternal freshness that permeate the Catalan composer’s music.

I am speaking of legendary musicians, such as the Russian Igor Markévitch, especially in his wonderful period of artistic involvement with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la RTVE; the Romanian Georges Enescu, stalwart defender of a piece that he often programmed, and all over the world; and Eduard Toldrà, the brilliant Catalan violinist, conductor and composer who, in 1944, created the Orquestra Municipal de Barcelona (now the OBC, which has at last recorded Catalonia), and who was a fervent promoter of the Spanish repertoire.

A greater commitment to music is needed and less obsession with attendance figures and box office takings.

There is a need for concert programmers who really believe in Spanish music.

The list includes musicians who are active at this time, such as Antoni Ros Marbà, a passionate perfomer of Albéniz and, in a very special way, of Toldrà, who was his teacher, Jesús López Cobos and José de Eusebio (thanks to his enthusiasm we now know more about the Camprodón musician’s operatic legacy than ever before; the recording discussed today includes an orchestral suite from Pepita Jiménez revised by him), and on his first CD with the OBC, Jaime Martin,

Albéniz had and has eloquent supporters. Why, then, is Catalonia still rarely heard in concert halls? Difficult question. First of all, there is a need for concert programmers who really believe in Spanish music. It is pointless to include just four or five pieces in a whole symphonic season; nor is the Spanish share of the programmes sufficient; nor are there enough commissions, increasingly unambitious and scarce. A greater commitment to music is needed and less obsession with attendance figures and box office takings.

There is enough leeway to balance the offer using the more popular classics to attract the general public –it all depends on the programmers’ imagination. The regularisation of works such as Catalonia – and this piece is just one example because there are hundreds of scores in the same situation – requires a strong alliance between performers, programmers and the public.

The musicians with power – and the chief conductors of a symphonic ensemble have a lot of power – are the ones who ultimately have a greater say when it comes to choosing which works are programmed and which are left out: when a chief conductor wants to play a given piece, eventually it gets played.

Programmers, managers and artistic directors should limit themselves to doing their duty, because the revival and dissemination of the national repertoire is an obligation for all orchestras, auditoriums and the concert-going public.

As for the public, the greatest possible complicity is needed, using the media that now, more than ever, can arouse – if used with imagination and efficiency  – music-lovers’ curiosity, the desire to discover new and old scores, the possibility of expanding frontiers.

Greek medicine in New York

Posted by Cristina Martí on April 11, 2011  |  Leave a comment

Askeplios is the name of the Greek god of medicine, usually depicted next to a snake entwined on a stick, a symbol of renewed life. Askeplios is also one of the works by the Bilbao composer Gabriel Erkoreka that can be heard on 28 April at the Judson Memorial Church in New York, performed by the Maya Ensemble, whose members are the flutist Sato Moughalian, harpist Bridget Kibbey and percussionist John Hadfield. Premiered in Manhattan last June, in this piece Erkoreka uses melodic archetypes from Greek traditional music, which twist and turn like the snake on the Greek physician’s stick.

You can find information on performances of this and many other composers’ music in the Tritó concert schedule

Agustí Charles premieres “Lord Byron” in Germany

Posted by Cristina Martí on March 9, 2011  |  Leave a comment

On 12 March in Darmstadt, the composer Agustí Charles premiered his opera “LByron, un estiu sense estiu“ (LByron, a year without a summer), commissioned by Darmstadt’s Staatstheater and scheduled for the 2010/2011 season.

In Spain it will be premiered at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona on 25, 27 and 28 June 2011, with the participation of the choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Orquesta BCN216. In Germany, on the other hand, it will be performed on nine occasions over the coming months. Both the Liceu Theatre and the Teatros del Canal are involved in this production, which will also be staged in Madrid.

Marc Rosich’s libretto sets the action in Europe after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. While he was losing on the battlefield, the Tambora volcano in the Pacific Ocean erupted, releasing a cloud of toxic ash that covered the entire planet and perturbed the order of the seasons. The cloud, accompanied by violent storms, reached Geneva in the summer of 1816, leaving an unusual group of English exiles trapped in their summer home: Lord Byron, Percy B. Shelley, his lover Mary, Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, and Dr John Polidori. A gathering in the middle of a “year without a summer”, which gave rise to two of the most important texts in Gothic literature: Frankenstein and The Vampire.

Orchestra, choir and voices construct an all-enveloping sound space that situates the listener at the centre of the opera, on the stage, which also serves as an important instrument, with even the percussion located in the hall itself, and including subtle amplification that enables the public to delve into the subconscious of the characters and deduce their obsessions.

Source: docenotas.com

Contemporary music 2011

Posted by Cristina Martí on March 7, 2011  |  Leave a comment

On various Wednesdays in the months of March, April and May, the 2011 Seville Contemporary Music Cycle will be held at the Teatro Central in Seville. The programme consists of eight concerts, including works by David del Puerto, Hèctor Parra and Gabriel Erkoreka.

Specifically, on 27 April the ensemble Rejoice will perform the concert version of the work Carmen Replay by David del Puerto, and on 30 March the Ensemble Recherche will present works by Hèctor Parra and by students of the Manuel de Falla Chair of Composition at the University of Granada. In addition, on the 25 May you will be able to listen to works by another of the composers who works with Tritó, Gabriel Erkoreka, along with other contemporary composers such as Saariaho and Fineberg, at the hands of the Taller Sonoro under the joint title “Angelus Novus: el futuro presente”.

Upcoming concerts

Posted by Cristina Martí on February 21, 2011  |  1 Comment

Maybe you are still not aware that Tritó has a concert schedule, which provides details of all our composers’ musical activity, both around Spain and abroad.

To begin with, last week, on the 23 and 25 February, the Oviedo Filarmonía, under the baton of Lorenzo Ramos, performed the Tonadillas by Enric Granados with orchestration by Albert Guinovart, at the Auditorio Príncipe Felipe in Oviedo and the Madrid auditorium.

And on 26 February in Biscaya, the Orquestra Simfònica de Bilbao and the Orfeón Donostiarra continued the commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the death Jesús Guridi, performing his “Cuadros Vascos” at the Teatro Social Antzokia in Basauri

We can recommend seven concerts in March: if you were at the Centre Pompidou in Paris on the 2^nd of the month you may have listened to the Ensemble Intercontemporain playing “Stress Tensor” by Hèctor Parra. On the 11^th, Sortilegis, by Xavier Montsalvatge, will be performed at the Teatro Monumental in Madrid by the Orquestra de RTVE, and on the following day, at the same venue and with soloists from the same orchestra, you can listen to the Quartet with oboe by Jesús Torres

Continuing in the month of March, other concerts are La rosa del azafrán, by Jacinto Guerrero in Albacete on the 18^th, Orchestral highlights from the opera Pepita Jiménez by Isaac Albéniz (edited by José de Eusebio) in Reutlingen (Germany), and the Obertura del ballet Alphonse et Léonore ou L’amant peintre by Ferran Sor in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, both on the 24^th. And lastly, on 29 March the students from the Salamanca Music Conservatory will play the Concert for bassoon and chamber ensemble by Agustí Charles

There’s sure to be something that interests you among all these works. As you know, if you want to go to a concert, consult the schedule for the next few months. Enjoy yourselves!

“El Caserío”, by Jesús Guridi, on the 50th anniversary of his death

Posted by Cristina Martí on January 3, 2011  |  1 Comment

To mark, in 2011, the 50th anniversary of the death of Jesus Guridi, a series of tributes have been organised beginning with the performances at the Teatro Arriaga de Bilbao of the zarzuela “El Caserío”, where Miguel Ortega will conduct the Coro Rossini and the Orquesta Bilbao Philarmonia on the 21, 23, 25, 28 and 29 January. You can consult the full concert programme.

The organist and composer Jesús Guridi Vidaola was born into a family of musicians in Vitoria in 1886. He began learning the organ in his hometown and at 18 he was accepted at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, where he studied organ with Decaux, composition with Sérieyx, and counterpoint and fugue with Vincent D’Indy. Later, he moved to Liege (Belgium) and Cologne (Germany). He was professor at the Conservatory of Bilbao and, in 1944, at the Conservatory of Madrid, where years later he became director.

His work, heavily inspired by Basque folklore, ranges from chamber music (string quartets), vocal and orchestral works, and pieces for organ and church music, to the genres of opera and operetta. Among his major works, particular mention should be made of Así cantan los niños (1909), Mirentxu (1910), Amaya (1920), La meiga (1929), Six Castilian Songs (1939), Ten Basque melodies (1940), Pyrenean Symphony (1945), and el Caserío (1926), a zarzuela that unfolds in a Basque setting and which was a huge success.

See the catalogue of works by Jesús Guridi available from Tritó >

Sincrotró-Alba: The premiere of the third symphony by Joan Guinjoan

Posted by Toni Cruanyes on May 5, 2010  |  1 Comment

On Friday 7 May, the expected premiere of Sincrotró-Alba, the third symphony by Joan Guinjoan, will take place. The work, organised into three movements, is fruit of a commission from the Synchrotron Consortium, whose particle accelerator in Cerdanyola del Vallès was inaugurated on 22 March, and who wish to celebrate its activation with an orchestral work inspired in the monumental scientific laboratory called Alba, which means ‘dawn’, a direct allusion to the first light of the morning, which dispels the darkness and unveils the landscape of a new day.

The programme, performed by the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) under the baton of Ernest Martínez Izquierdo, will be opened by the work The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives, and will conclude with Rachmaninov’s popular second piano concerto.

Sincrotró-Alba is the most important piece composed by Joan Guinjoan in the last few years.