Orquesta Nacional de España
Orchestras
The Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE), with a history dating back over more than sixty years, started out on a new phase in its career during the 2003-2004 season when Josep Pons took over as principal conductor. Under his leadership, the organisation and image of the OCNE have been updated, and its artistic and cultural ambitions are being fostered in the programmes of its regular concert series in Madrid, as well as in new projects and complementary activities (conferences, expositions, screenings, projections, meetings with composers, etc.).
From the purely musical point of view, programming has expanded to include not only the basic Western symphonic repertoire but also many first performances of both new music and newly-recovered music from earlier periods. The OCNE also endeavours to give added cultural interest to its programmes by following specific themes. Goethe’s Faust, Cervantes’ Don Quixote, the Vienna of 1900, Music and myth, A look at the East and Power, war and peace were the themes of previous OCNE concert series, while the present one is dedicated to Music and Nature.
Another recent initiative of interest, entitled Carte blanche for ..., involves a set of orchestral and chamber concerts as well as other complementary activities devoted to a modern-day composer, offering not only works by the composer in question but also works chosen by them. Hans Werner Henze, George Benjamin, Henri Dutilleux, Elliott Carter and Sofia Gubaidulina were the recipients of the “carte blanche” during the last seasons, and the spanish Cristóbal Halffter will during the present one.
The OCNE is thus continuing and stepping up its interest in new music. Over the years, this has led to a large number of commissioned works and world premieres, as well as the presence on the rostrum of former maestros such as Stravinsky and Hindemith, and living ones such as Halffter, Penderecki and Benjamin.
The Orquesta Nacional de España was first created in 1937, during the Spanish civil war, and became a permanent fixture in 1942. Since then, it has offered concerts constantly, during its extensive seasons in Madrid, at the main international festivals held in Spain – Granada, Santander, San Sebastián – and during tours around Spain and in Europe, the Americas and Asia (the latest in Great Britain, Germany, Austria Mexico and China). It has always aimed to serve as a vehicle for the main orchestral repertoire, from baroque to the modern-day, with a special focus on Spanish music.
New in the present season is the return to the record market, with the prestigious company Deutsche Grammophon with whom three recordings (Amargós’ Sonanta suite, Falla’s El amor brujo and Noche de boleros) are planned, in addition to one dedicated to the catalan composer Benet Casablancas (edited by Diverdi), and another to César Camarero (with Kairos).
Amongst the most important of its principal conductors were Ataúlfo Argenta, who raised the orchestra to a high artistic level during its early years, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, its most frequent conductor. During the orchestra’s first period, outstanding guest conductors included Carl Schuricht, Heinz Unger, Hermann Scherchen, Sergiu Celibidache, Igor Markevitch and Jean Martinon. In more recent periods, Bychkov Slatkin, McCreesh, Minkovski, Fedosseyev, Dudamel and Volkov among others have visited ONE´s podium.
Also, many of the most relevant vocal and instrumental soloists of the second half of the 20th century have performed alongside the OCNE - Arthur Rubinstein, José Iturbi, Wilhelm Kempf, Claudio Arrau, Alicia de Larrocha; Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan; Mstislav Rostropovich, Pierre Fournier; Jean-Pierre Rampal, James Galway; Victoria de los Ángeles, Norma Procter, Jessye Norman, Gundula Janowitz, Teresa Berganza, and the list continues in recent years with other renowned soloists from the international concert scene (Frank Peter Zimmermann, Hilary Hahn, Han-Na Chang, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Jean Ives Thibaudet, Christian Zacharias, Capuçons, Joshua Bell, Truls Mork, Gil Saham, Lang Lang, Anne Sofie Mutter …).
The National Orchestra and Chorus of Spain (OCNE) have been named as part of the Instituto Nacional de Artes Escénicas y la Música (INAEM), by the Ministry of Culture. Queen Sofía is its Honorary President.
SEASON 2009/2010
JOSEP PONS
Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, Josep Pons was born in Puig-reig (Barcelona) and read as music scholar at Escolanía de Montserrat. Josep Pons is also Principal Associated Conductor of Barcelona’s Gran Teatro del Liceo. Previous tenures include chief conducting positions at Orquesta de Cambra Teatre Lliure (1985-97) and Orquesta Ciudad de Granada (1994-2004). He was also Executive Musical Conductor at the Olympic Ceremonies in Barcelona in 1992.
Josep Pons is in great demand as a guest conductor. He has appeared with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Ochestra, Orchestre National de France, Radio France Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Tokyo City Philharmonic, Danish National Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Engagements in the near future include debuts with Orchestra Sinfónica di Milano, Detroit Symphony and Dresden Philharmonic, as well as new collaborations with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and Orchestre de Paris among others.
Since 1995 Josep Pons has also been in great demand to conduct opera and scenic productions: II barbiere de Siviglia, The Light House, La Voix Humaine, The Turn of the Screw, Orfeo, Pepita Jiménez, Atlántida and La Vida Breve, this century world's premiere of Alahor in Granata, The Magic Flute, Oedipus Rex, Peter Grimes, Diary of One Who Disappeared, Bluebeard’s Castle, Wozzeck… He has also conducted world premiers of D.Q. (J. L. Turina - Fura dels Baus) and La Fatucchiera (Cuyàs) at Barcelona’s Gran Teatro del Liceo.
As part of his exclusive contract with Harmonia Mundi, Pons has recorded much Spanish repertoire, most notably the complete Falla works. In recognition of his work, Josep Pons has received some of the highest awards (Diapason d.Or, Choc de la Musique, CD Compact Awards, Tèlèrama, ffff, Grand Prix du Disque de la Academie Charles Cross, etc.). At the 1996 Cannes Classical Awards ceremony, he received the Publishers’ Award for his recording of Pepita Jiménez. His latest recordings include CD devoted to the Argentinean composer Alberto Ginastera and a CD portraying music by Nino Rota that has been awarded a Diapason dOr de lannée 2005 (Symphonic Repertoire).
In recognition to his outstanding musical achievements Josep Pons received in 1999 the Music National Award by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
SEASON 2009/2010
