Music. Cultural Information from Catalan-Speaking Lands: 2001 (lI) and 2002 (I)

Abstract

In June, coinciding with the fifteenth celebration of the Festival de Peralada, Spain premiered the then recent opera by Aribert Reimann, Bemarda Alba Haus. Based on the play by Lorca, ir had been presented with unexpected success in Munich. The musical director was Windfried Müller, and scenery by Harry Kupfer. Srill with t~e same music festival, in August there was the performance of the musical score by the acclaimed Sofía Gubaidulina, Cdntico del sol, based on the texrs of Sr. Francis of Assis, with Rostropovich conducting the Ohrenburg Choir and the Lithuanian Philharmonic Or<:hestra Percussion Group. I would also like to mention two other concerts. The first opera fragments with the veteran Montserrat Caballé heading rhe cast in commemoration of the 15 years of the festival auly 14). The orher (August 15) celebrated the ten years of collaboration with the Orques ra de Cadaqués, whcre the entire assembly was conducted by the regular guest conductor, Sir Neville Marriner, with works by Montsalvatge, Rachmaninov, and Dvorak on the music stands. As re¡!:ards symphony-choir, there was the almost obligatory Requiem by Verdi und,er the baton of Ernest Martínez Izquierdo leading the Orquesta de la Oper,. de Sofía and the Orfeón Donostiarra choir auly 27). Opera was another item with performances of two works from the Triptych by Puccini: Il tabarra and Gianni Schicchi, with the Menorcan baritone Joan Pons (August I4 and I6). Meanwhile William Christie and his fabulous ensemble. Les Arts Florissants, interpreted Haendel's oratory, L'Allegro, il pense1'Oso ed il moderato auly 22). Individual singing performances were another item with the recital by Eva Marton (August 6), and the recital by Ainhoa Arteta and her husband, the baritone Dwayne Croft (August 3)...