Alter Klang by Benet Casablancas in Holland, Belgium and Sweden

Posted by Leticia Martin on January 9, 2009  |  2 Comments

The Dutch youth orchestra, Nationaal Jeugd Orkest, conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw, has chosen the work Alter Klang by Benet Casablancas for its January concert tour, which takes it to the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht in Holland and Antwerp in Belgium. This work consolidates Benet Casablancas’ place among the most internationally acclaimed Spanish composers.

Alter Klang (Antique harmonies) refers back to a well-known painting with the same name by Paul Klee. The composer brings a broad spectrum of sustained rhetorical resources and synesthesiae into play, which emerged in the adaptation of the pictorial language to music.

Composed in a sole movement for large orchestra it has received chamber music treatment on various occasions. It is dedicated to Josep Pons, who conducted the premiere at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid in 2007. This same conductor will perform it in Malmö (Sweden) with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in April.

Alter Klang

New symphony by Josep Pons

Posted by Redacción on November 11, 2008  |  Leave a comment

A previously unpublished symphony by Josep Pons (1770-1818) has been included in volume 6 of the Collection “Compositors valencians”, published by Tritó in conjunction with the Generalitat Valenciana. It has been classified as No. 10 so as to respect the numbering of the catalogue initiated years ago by Joám Trillo and José López-Calo.

The task of the publication of this symphony in A major fell to Josep Dolcet, who located the manuscript in the Biblioteca Històrica of Madrid City Council, among the archives that came from the old Teatro de la Cruz.

It was found together with other overtures and symphonies by Pons and by Sor (published and recorded), Pablo del Moral and Francisco Javier Moreno, and also works by Haydn, Pleyel and Mozart, and lesser-known European composers (Rosetti, Winter, Witt, Méhul, Paër, Paisiello, Salieri, Sarti, Spontini, Mercadante, etc.)

In fact, this is the first time symphonies and overtures by Pons have been found in archives coming from theatres, and this shows that apart from the use of his music in religious acts, which implies its conservation in cathedral archives, it also sounded in concert halls or as the introduction to theatre works performed at the beginning of the 19th century.

The edition also includes an updated biographical study of Josep Pons, carried out by the musicologist and conductor Ramón Ramírez i Beneyto, author of a doctoral thesis on this composer.

Symphony no.10, Allegro

The Spanish National Orchestra also programmes Sor

Posted by Marcel Soleda on March 28, 2006  |  Leave a comment

Just as the OBC (Orchestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya) rediscovers Ferran Sor’s overture for the tragedy La Elvira Portuguesa, this coming weekend the Spanish National Orchestra under principal conductor Josep Pons performs another of the composer’s forgotten orchestral works: the overture from the ballet Hercule et Omphale. The performances are 31 March and 1 and 2 April at the Auditorio Nacional de Música de Madrid. Among other ballets by Sor, the Tritó catalogue offers the score for the overture from Alphonse et Léonor.

Torres La Tumba de Antígona draws acclaim

Posted by Marcel Soleda on March 20, 2004  |  Leave a comment

“This past 13 February, the National Orchestra of Spain, conducted by the first conductor Pons, premiered to great acclaim La tumba de Antígona by the Spanish composer Torres, at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid.

Tritó has recently published his String Trio , Itzal for accordion, Preludios I-IV for piano. Soon to be published: Cadenza for piano, and “ Crepuscular and “La Tumba de Antígona” for orchestra. Torres also composed Concerto for piano , recently recorded for the RTVE-Música label.Jesús Torres has also been chosen to compose the commissioned work for the 7th Competition, which will be held in Barcelona on 29 July 2004.”

Première of La tumba de Antígona, from Jesús Torres

Posted by Marcel Soleda on February 12, 2004  |  Leave a comment

The Spanish National Orchestra conducted by Josep Pons premieres La tumba de Antígona by Jesús Torres. The performance takes place on 13 February at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid.

This work, one of those which the orchestra commissions annually from young Spanish composers, will be performed again on the 14th and 15th.