· The biennial event, organised by the Provincial Council of Valencia, featured a total of 25 renowned Spanish and international musicians in nine concerts and recitals attended by more than 3,500 people
· Gloria Tello, councillor responsible for the Iturbi Prize, believes that the festival “has been a success thanks to the artists who took part, the programmes performed and the reception from the public”, and highlighted “the important institutional collaboration of the Palau de la Música”
· Justo Romero, Artistic Director, said that “we have experienced, shared and enjoyed intense days of piano music in an unprecedented event in the musical life of Valencia, and perhaps Spain”, and this was achieved “without compromising for a moment its outstanding artistic and professional level”
· The festival kicked off with pianist Maria João Pires and continued with other leading performers such as Luis Fernando Pérez, Bartomeu Jaume, Xavier Torres, Noelia Rodiles, Carlos Apellániz, Óscar Oliver, Yulianna Avdeeva, Carles Marín, Claudio Carbó, María Linares and Josep Colom
· It hosted three premieres and a “historic concert” featuring conductor Manuel Hernández Silva, harpsichordist Diego Ares, fortepianist Antonio Simón and teachers from the Orquestra de València
Valencia, 7 November 2022
The 2022 Iturbi Piano Festival, organised by the Provincial Council of Valencia, was a success for the organisers of this musical event, held from 28 October to 4 November, which concluded with the programme Quintetos con piano II, a “concert of concerts” with the Orquestra de València, in collaboration with the Palau de la Música, and the recital by Catalan pianist Josep Colom that brought the festival to a close.
During the week, a total of 25 leading Spanish and foreign performers took part in the nine concerts and recitals, which were attended free of charge by more than 3,500 people, including music lovers and enthusiasts, who were able to enjoy a variety of performances at different venues in the city of Valencia (Teatre Principal, Palau de les Arts, Centre Cultural la Beneficència and L’Almodí).
The second edition of the festival began with the Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires and continued with other national and international pianists such as Luis Fernando Pérez,
Bartomeu Jaume, Xavier Torres, Noelia Rodiles, Carlos Apellániz, Óscar Oliver, Yulianna Avdeeva, Carles Marín, Claudio Carbó, María Linares and Josep Colom, as well as the conductor Manuel Hernández Silva, harpsichordist Diego Ares and fortepianist Antonio Simón, among other prestigious musicians and teachers from the Orquestra de València.
The Provincial Council of Valencia has thus continued a biennial festival, under the artistic direction of Justo Romero, which will take place in even-numbered years, alternating with the Iturbi Piano Competition, which will take place in odd-numbered years. Furthermore, from 6 May to 23 October, the Iturbi Recital Cycle offered a total of 11 concerts in Rome, Toulouse, Valencia, and in Valencian cities and towns such as Gandia, Chiva, Xàtiva and Sagunt, performed by some of the winners of the previous edition: Salome Jordania, Ryutaro Suzuki and Zifan Ye.
The Iturbi Project works along three strategic lines: promoting the talent of young pianists from around the world and boosting their artistic careers through the competition, programming leading musicians for the festival, and highlighting the prestige and musical legacy of José Iturbi (Valencia 1895 – Los Angeles 1980), to whom a permanent tribute is paid.
High level of pianism
Gloria Tello, councillor responsible for the Iturbi Piano Festival, Councillor for Culture at Valencia City Council and President of the Palau de la Música, said that “the 2nd Iturbi Piano Festival has been a showcase of artistic quality, high standards and pianistic excellence”. Tello believes that “it has been a success thanks to the performers who took part, the programmes performed and the reception from the public and the regional and national media, which is a great return for the festival and the Valencia brand”. The councillor also emphasised that “the synergies and institutional collaboration in general, and that of the Palau de la Música in particular, have been exemplary and very important in bringing this initiative to fruition”.
Justo Romero said that “we have experienced, shared and enjoyed intense days of piano music in an event that is unprecedented in the musical life of Valencia, and perhaps in Spain”. The Artistic Director pointed out that “under the auspices of the Provincial Council of Valencia and the strong support of Councillor Gloria Tello, we have been able to happily fulfil this dream, in which quality, artistic excellence, passion for music, commitment to contemporary music, the environment and honesty have been the watchwords”; and it has been done “without compromising for a moment its outstanding artistic and professional level”. Romero thanked the “generosity” of the artists and professionals who made this 2nd Iturbi Piano Festival possible and turned it into an “unforgettable” event.
Maria João Pires and three premieres
Maria João Pires opened the festival with a performance of works by Schubert and Debussy before an audience of 1,200 people who gave her a warm and enthusiastic welcome at the Palau de les Arts; Quintetos con piano I premiered Las lógicas exquisitas by the renowned Valencian composer Francisco Coll, a work commissioned by the Iturbi Piano Festival itself, and included pieces by Schumann and Shostakovich in its performance. Pianists Bartomeu Jaume and Xavier Torres, with the programme Obra para piano by Javier Costa, performed Costa’s complete piano catalogue, including two other world premieres: Preludios efímeros and Remember me!
Asturian pianist Noelia Rodiles gave a recital with a demanding programme in which she alternated works by Schubert and Spaniards David del Puerto and Jesús Rueda, combining the classical and the contemporary; Liber Quartet performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, in a version for two pianos inspired by the recording by José and Amparo Iturbi; and pieces by Bartók and Stravinsky.
Halfway through the festival, Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva gave a titanic concert with works by Chopin, Władysław Spilzman, Mieczysław Weinberg and Rachmaninoff; and in the programme Quintetos con piano II, the fantasies and quintets for piano and wind instruments by Mozart and Beethoven were juxtaposed.
Historic concert
The Orquestra de València, conducted by Manuel Hernández Silva, offered a “historic concert” in what was a musical journey from the Baroque to the 20th century, performing Bach’s Concerto for Four Keyboards and Strings, Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Concerto for Harpsichord, fortepiano and orchestra, Liszt’s Totentanz (for piano and orchestra), and Prokofiev’s Concerto for Piano for the Left Hand, rarely performed and heard for the first time in Spain.
The finale was provided by Barcelona-born Josep Colom, a renowned interpreter of universal pianism, with works by Franck, Stravinsky, Falla (Fantasía Baetica), Chopin’s Twelve Etudes, Op. 25, and the premiere of a Pequeña Danza española composed by José Iturbi himself, which brought the festival to a close.
The 2nd Iturbi Piano Festival was supported by Valencia City Council, the Palau de la Música, the Valencian Institute of Culture through the Deputy Directorate of Music and Popular Culture, the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome, attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and the Piano aux Jacobins Festival.
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CONCERTS OF THE 2nd ITURBI PIANO FESTIVAL
01 Maria João Pires
Works by Debussy and Schubert
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. Auditorium
28 October, 7:30 pm
02 Quintetos con piano I
Works by Coll, Schumann and Shostakovich
Centre Cultural La Beneficència
29 October, 12 noon
03 Piano work by Javier Costa
L’Almodí
29 October, 7:30 pm
04 Noelia Rodiles
Works by Del Puerto, Rueda and Schubert
L’Almodí
30 October, 12 noon
05 Liber Quartet
Works by Bartók, Gershwin and Stravinsky
Centre Cultural La Beneficència
30 October, 7 pm
06 Yulianna Avdeeva
Works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Spilzman and Weinberg
Centre Cultural La Beneficència
31 October, 7:30 pm
07 Quintetos con piano II
Works by Beethoven and Mozart
Centre Cultural La Beneficència
2 November, 7:30 pm
08 Concertos for keyboard and orchestra
Works by Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Liszt, Mozart and Prokofiev
Teatre Principal
3 November, 7:30 pm
09 Josep Colom
Works by Chopin, Falla, Franck, Iturbi and Stravinsky
L’Almodí
4 November, 7:30 pm