The Cello in Spain
Boccherini and other 18th-century virtuosi

Josetxu Obregón, cello and direction
La Ritirata
Daniel Oyarzabal, harpsichord & organ Diana Vinagre, cello
Enrike Solinís, Baroque guitar & archlute Daniel Zapico, theorbo
Sara Águeda, harp
Lina Tur Bonet & Miren Zeberio, violins Daniel Lorenzo, viola
Michel Frechina, double bass David Chupete, castanets

PROGRAMME
Luigi BOCCHERINI (1743-1805) 01-03 Cello Sonata in C major
Giuseppe Antonio PAGANELLI (1710-c.1763) 04-07 Sonata in A minor
Jean-Pierre DUPORT (1741-1818) 08-10 Cello Sonata in D major
ANONYMOUS (second half of 18th century) 11 Adagio from Manuscrito de Barcelona
Domingo PORRETTI (1709-1783) 12-15 Cello Concerto in G major
Francesco Paolo SUPRIANO (1678-1753) 16 Toccata prima in G major for cello solo
Pablo VIDAL (d.1807) 17 Duetto-Andante
José ZAYAS (d.1804)
18 Última lección in B flat major
Luigi BOCCHERINI
19 Fandango from Guitar Quintet in D major

PRODUCTION DETAILS
Total playing time 57:05
Recorded in Madrid (Real Conservatorio de Música), Spain, in December 2014 Engineered by Federico Prieto
Produced by Josetxu Obregón & Federico Prieto Executive producer: Carlos Céster
Booklet essay by José Carlos Gosálvez English - Français - Deutsch - Español
Made in Austria


If the history of eighteenth-century cello music and performance in Spain is still waiting to be written, Josetxu Obregón and La Ritirata are bringing us up close to the instrument’s role during that time with their new Glossa CD, The Cello in Spain. The selection made by this exciting cellist provides a sample of pieces which undoubtedly would have been heard in Spain during the infancy of the instrument there and in the period leading into the Age of the Enlightenment.
Such was the growing taste for the instrument that many composers and virtuosi came from elsewhere to perform, either passing through the country or settling there for life as did Luigi Boccherini or Domingo Porretti (a Cello Concerto from the latter is performed here). Obregón’s vivid advocacy – matched by scholar José Carlos Gosálvez in his accompanying booklet – reaches through to the first native cello school, with music from Pablo Vidal and José Zayas; many of these pieces here are being 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 a Guitar Quintet), complete this time 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.

Includes unlimited streaming of The Cello in Spain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.