The cello in Spain

Description

"The Cello in Spain", new Glossa album by Josetxu Obregón and La Ritirata, is an exciting and reliable first approach to 18th-century cello music, although its history is still waiting to be written! This essential cellist performs here a wide selection of pieces played in Spain during the instrument's infancy and then in the era that would lead to the Enlightenment. The passion for the instrument was so strong that many composers as well as foreign virtuosos came to Spain to showcase their talents and, some, to live there, like Luigi Boccherini or Domingo Porretti (whose cello concerto is included in the CD). Josetxu Obregón's fervent advocacy for the instrument - supported by the text of musicologist José Carlos Gosalvez - allows us to witness the birth of the national cello school with works by Pablo Vidal or José Zayas, several of which are a first on record. Other pieces are equally captivating: the sonata by Jean-Pierre Duport (dedicated to the Duke of Alba during the French cellist's stay in Madrid) or, in an innovative interpretation, the "Fandango" by Boccherini (from one of the guitar quintets), including the castanets indicated in the score. The instruments chosen by La Ritirata as well as the interpretative style are perfectly suited to these pieces that range from baroque to classicism, and this new disc is a prelude to a broader exploration of the presence of the cello in Spain.