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.

“Apocalipsis” at the SMR in Cuenca

Posted by Leticia Martin on April 19, 2011  |  Leave a comment

The second day of the Cuenca Religious Music Week, 17 April, saw the premiere of the latest work by Jesús Torres. Apocalipsis, specially commissioned for the Festival, is an ambitious project that counted on the participation of the Ensemble Residencias, the French choir Accentus and the Gregorian choir Schola Antiqua, all of them conducted by Nacho de Paz.

The old church known as the Iglesia de la Merced, a beautiful religious space converted into a library, was the venue of the premiere. As its title indicates, Apocalipsis is based on bible texts from the Book of Revelation written by St John of Patmos. The composer has divided the work into seven parts, each seven minutes long, combining Latin and Spanish in the choral lyrics. And two mixed choirs, a Gregorian choir and the ensemble – consisting of seven percussionists, two pianos, two trumpets, two horns, four trombones and an oboe – constitute a group of 49 musicians (7×7), distributed in seven spaces, thus giving special importance to both the numerical symbolism and the spatial organisation, specially thought out for the venue of the premiere.

The public, with the venue packed out, was situated at the centre of this whole spatial arrangement and experienced the “revelation” first hand. Several minutes of applause capped this unforgettable event during which Torres’ music carried us from the seven seals to New Jerusalem. The music evolves to express the text and also develops its own descriptive identity, making the most of the special characteristics of the instruments and the fabulous performers on hand for the occasion.

Following on from works like Evocación and Sinfonía, Jesus Torres has achieved the perfect fusion of music and lyrics in this piece, without detriment to the particular qualities of these two components. With each new project it becomes clearer and clearer that he is one of the most important composers of contemporary music in Spain.

More early music, please

Posted by Llorenç Caballero on March 30, 2011  |  1 Comment

The weekend before last, the annual meeting of the Asociación de Festivales de Música Clásica, “Festclásica”, was held in Orense. This association brings together over forty music festivals held throughout the peninsula and is intended to present the festivals and the activities they organise. I participated as representative of the Festivales de San Lorenzo in El Escorial.

FestClásica carries out two annual projects that I would like to draw attention to here. The first is the commission offered to twelve composers to compose short works around the theme ” Una Iberia para Albéniz” (An Iberia for Albéniz), in memory of the Spanish maestro. And these will be premiered by the pianist Juan Carlos Garbayo, with the release of a CD to follow.

The second project relates to the “Comisión de música antigua” (Early Music Commission) organised by some of the festivals (Quincena, Aranjuez and Zamora). This involved the award of three prizes for the recovery by an early music ensemble of an unpublished work from the Spanish musical heritage. The winners were:

1. Alia Música for the liturgy El Alma Lastimada, conductor Miguel Ángel Sánchez
2. El Concierto Español for Ifigenia en Tracia by José de Nebra, conductor Emilio Moreno
3. La Grand Chapelle for Canto del Alma by Cristóbal Galán, conductor Albert Recasens

On the occasion of the presentation of these awards and taking advantage of free time available while travelling by bus in Galicia, I have reviewed the discography of some of these groups.

What is obvious is that early music from Spain has possessed and still possesses unrivalled strength and energy, and enjoys an international reputation, and that the public interest it attracts responds to none other than its high quality and enviable good shape. In this sense the excellent level of some of these groups in general and some musicians in particular deserves special mention. The three groups have developed some very interesting programs of the highest quality, and the level of the performances on the recordings is extraordinary, besides these being splendidly presented.

The fact that in the last 30 years many Spanish musicians have left to study in countries more specialized in this genre, and many of them have returned and are now working as teachers in conservatories and schools around the country, has led to a notable improvement in the level of the students. Such a high level of musical expertise is now evident when playing these repertoires that this country has ended up by overtaking those countries that previously served us as a model.

The truth is that as director of Tritó Edicions, and after personally witnessing this high level of both recording and playing at the weekend, I feel that we should consider issuing some of the scores of these as yet unpublished Spanish works in order to round off the work that these groups, thanks to their energy and initiative, are carrying out.

Congratulations to everyone who has made this happen and I cherish the hope that the festivals and the authorities will continue promoting and further supporting (much more) all this movement.

Llorenç Caballero
Director of Tritó Edicions

VI International Percussion Festival of Catalonia

Posted by Cristina Martí on January 20, 2011  |  1 Comment

During the coming month of February, the Auditori de Barcelona will host the sixth International Percussion Festival of Catalonia, which on this occasion will be characterised by a more international programme, with musicians from other countries such as the USA, Denmark, India and Portugal.

The U.S. percussionist Marilyn Mazur

A total of nine groups will participate at the festival:

• Marc Ayza & Dj. Helios (Catalonia- USA)
• Gamelan da Casa da Música de Porto (Portugal)
• Marilyn Mazur · Molvaer · Aarset trio (USA- Denmark)
• Tambor de Saía (Catalonia)
• Pedro Javier González & Raúl Rodríguez & Trilok Gurtu (Sevilla-Catalonia- India)
• Conjunto de percusión del ESMUC (Catalonia)
• Percussions de Barcelona (Catalonia)
• Iñaki Plaza & Ion Garmendia (Basque Country)
• Santi Arisa & Jove Cor Coral·lí (Catalonia)

In this list special mention should be made of the presence of the Hindu percussionist Trilok Gurtu, who, accompanied by Pedro Javier González on guitar and the Raúl Rodríguez from Seville on electric Cuban tres, will blend sounds from the east and the west in a concert programmed for Friday 16 February.

During the coming month, the concert venues in the Catalan capital will host a total of nine performances, plus, as on previous occasions, the already classic performance by the students in the percussion group from the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña (ESMUC).

Source: abc.es

For further information visit the Auditori de Barcelona website.

“La guitarra soñada” by Javier Riba presented in Madrid and Barcelona

Posted by Leticia Martin on April 15, 2009  |  Leave a comment

In the year of Albéniz’s centenary (1860-1909), Javier Riba, following the best Spanish guitar tradition (Miquel Llobet, Francesc Tárrega), has realised some brilliant versions of different works by the maestro from Camprodon, which are now being presented in concert in Madrid and Barcelona.

The opportunity to listen to Javier Riba live in Madrid is on 22 April, as part of the concert programme organised by the Sociedad Española de la Guitarra, at the Centro Cultural Conde Duque del Ayuntamiento de Madrid, and he can be heard in Barcelona on 23 May, as part of the Festival de Guitarra de Barcelona , in the Iglesia de San Felipe Neri.

The CD “La guitarra soñada” by Javier Riba is a Tritó production.

The ARS Musica Festival in Brussels gives the music of Hector Parra a warm reception

Posted by Leticia Martin on March 18, 2009  |  Leave a comment

The 20th ARS Musica Festival in Brussels has confirmed its position as one of the most important in the ambit of contemporary music. From 10 March to 10 April some of the best-known names on the contemporary scene will pass through the Belgian capital.

The composer Hèctor Parra, confirming his international projection, has been present at the festival with two concerts and a talk. The Arditti Quartet premiered his work “Leaves of reality” on 12 March and the Brussels Philarmonic conducted by Michel Tabachnik  performed one of his latest works for  orchestra, “Lumières Abyssales-Chroma”.

Further information at: www.arsmusica.be

Mexico-Spain Contemporary Music Festival

Posted by Leticia Martin on February 12, 2009  |  Leave a comment

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.”

She recalled that the original festival was organized by the Mexican Alicia Urrueta and the Spaniard Carlos Cruz de Castro. “It was called the Spanish-Mexican Festival and was held from 1973 to 1983. After that, contact between the composers from the two countries was broken off.”

She explained that the programme consists of concerts of chamber and electronic music. “There will be five world premieres and 17 pieces will be played for the first time in Mexico.”

In total, she said, there will be six concerts with pieces by Mexicans Lara Ana and Gabriela Ortiz, among others, and the Spaniards José Manuel López, Carlos Cruz de Castro, José Luis Castillo, Javier Arias, Jesús Rueda, Santiago Lanchares, Ramón Humet and Mercedes Zavala. She also highlighted the performances by the ensembles Onix and Catrina String Quartet, plus the piano soloists Carlos Apellániz and Alberto Rosado.

See the program

Jesús Torres resident composer at NEXEduet

Posted by Leticia Martin on November 17, 2008  |  Leave a comment

NEXEduet, the percussion group of Sisco Aparici and Jordi Francés, has picked Jesús Torres as composer in residence for its 3rd PERCUSSION ACADEMY. The course, being held this 5-8 December in Banyeres de Mariola (Alicante), also has guest tutors Christian Dierstein, for Germany, and Daniel Berg, from Sweden.

Percussion occupies a special place in contemporary music, and there now exists a real repertoire for the range of instruments it includes. The works of Jesús Torres are extraordinarily powerful and expressive, as well as being representative of his language, which makes them particularly interesting. The pieces that will be performed at the Academy concerts include Proteus (for solo multi-percussion), Tiento (for marimba and vibraphone), and Dánae (for six percussionists). On 7 December, the students on the course will put on a concert dedicated to the works of Jesús Torres.