The Cello in Spain [Audio CD]

Product Description Josetxu Obregn and La Ritirata bring us an update on 18th-century cello music and performance in Spain with their latest Glossa CD. The selection made by this exciting cellist provides a sample of pieces which would have been heard in Spain during the infancy of the instrument and in the period leading into the Age of the Enlightenment. Such was the popularity of the cello many composers and virtuosi came from elsewhere to perform, either passing through Spain or settling there for life, as did Luigi Boccherini and Domingo Porretti (a cello concerto from the latter is performed here). Obregn s vivid advocacy matched by scholar Jos Carlos Gonslvez in his accompanying booklet reaches out to the first native cello school, with music from Pablo Vidal and Jos Zayas and many of these pieces here are recorded for the first time. As well as a captivating sonata from Jean-Pierre Duport (dedicated to the Duke of Alba after the French cellist s visit to Madrid), we are also treated to a new reading of Boccherini s evocative 'Fandango', drawn from the Guitar Quintet in D, complete with castanets! La Ritirata s choices of instruments and performing styles admirably match the demands of music ranging from the Baroque to the Classical and this new disc paves the way for a broader exploration of the presence of the cello in the group s home country. Review 'This is a collection that is worthy of exploration, performed with great verve, polish and style.' --Ian Graham-Jones - Early Music Review, June 2015 MUSIC WEB INTERNATIONAL RECORDING OF THE MONTH 'Josetxu Obregn is a musician of the curious kind who likes to explore new ground. This disc is of great importance as it is the first attempt to document a part of music history which is still largely in the dark … Obregn is a brilliant performer … Technically the playing is superb and Obregn and his colleagues play with aplomb in the extraverted pieces but also with refinement in the more intimate items' --Johan van Veen MusicWeb International, 4th January 2016