Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE (Symphony Orchestra & Choir)

Orchestra founded: 1965 - Madrid, Spain
Chorus founded: 1950 - Madrid, Spain

Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) = Spanish Radio and Televisión Symphony Orchestra

The Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra came into being on May 27, 1965 as one of the youngest European radio and television orchestras and in the context of this country’s musical activity in the second half of the 20th century, it must be regarded as a principal player. The orchestra was officially presented at the Zarzuela Theatre in Madrid along with its Founder-Conductor Igor Markevitch in a programme including works by Prokofiev, Wagner, Falla and L.v. Beethoven. Just a few days before, it had debuted with Odón Alonso at the ISCM Festival playing music by composers such as Nilsson, Anton Webern, Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. These first public performances established the Orchestra’s main lines of action - the classical-romantic repertoire, Spanish music and service to the musical creation of our time. Igor Markevitch would repeat that inaugural concert in 1982, a few months before his death, so completing a historic period for the Orchestra.

After Igor Markevitch, the post of Chief Conductor would be held by Antoni Ros Marbà (1965-1967), Enrique García Asensio (1966-1984), Odón Alonso (1968-1984), Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (1984-1987), Arpad Joó (1988-1990), Sergiu Comissiona (1990-1998), García Asensio again (1998-2001), Adrian Leaper (2001-2010), Carlos Kalmar (2010-2016) and Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (since 2016).

The Orchestra has also been visited by maestros such as Sergiu Celibidache (with whom it maintained a close association for a number of years), Lorin Maazel, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kirill Kondrashin. Frühbeck de Burgos, Inbal, Neville MarrinerJesús López-Cobos, Rubén Dubrovsky, Dutoit, Albrecht and Helmuth Rilling, among many others. Notable among the composers who have stepped onto the Orchestra’s podium to conduct their own works are the names of Nadia Boulanger, Carlos Chávez, Aaron Copland, Luciano Berio, Cristóbal Halffter, Mauricio Kagel or Kryzsztof Penderecki.

Although radio and television is the natural vehicle of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra (making it the most-heard orchestra in Spain), its permanent residence in Madrid took it to a number of headquarters until definitively installed in 1988 in the refurbished Teatro Monumental, heir to the finest of Madrid’s symphonic history. To the orchestra’s presence at the main Spanish festivals must be added the international recognition from its performances at Carnegie Hall in New York (1971), the Royal Festival Hall in London (1975), Zürich Tonhalle (1986), Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (1986), Suntory Hall in Tokyo (1988), L'Arsenal in Metz (1989) or the Enescu Festival in Bucharest (1995) and Strasbourg 1998.

In May 2004, along with the Spanish National Chorus, the orchestra took part in the wedding ceremony of the Prince and Princess of Asturias. To celebrate its fortieth anniversary in 2005, the orchestra premiered Sinfónica which it had commissioned from composer Jesús Torres.

In June 2007, the orchestra made a concert tour to various auditoriums in Japan: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, the Music and Art Center en Niigata, Ongaku Center in Takasakishi (Gunma) and Utsunomiyashi Bunka Kaikan in Tochigi, and it recorded two programmes for the Asahi Television Channel in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Civic Hall.

The Spanish Radio and Television Symphony is engaged in interesting recording activity, notable productions include Zarzuela with Ana María Sánchez, Symphonic Jazz under the direction of José Nieto, a CD with two works by maestro Martín Pompey and recordings of the orchestral output of Gerardo Gombau and the complete orchestral work of Gonzalo Olavide for the Verso label.

Chief Conductors

Igor Markevitch (1965)
Antoni Ros-Marbà (1965-1967)
Enrique García Asensio (1965-1984)
Odón Alonso (1968-1984)
Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (1984-1987)
Arpad Joó (1988-1990)
Sergiu Comissiona (1990-1998)
Enrique García Asensio (1998-2001)
Adrian Leaper (2001-2010)
Carlos Kalmar (2011-2016)
Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (2016-Present)

Principal Guest Conductors
Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez
Antoni Ros-Marbà (1988-1991)
David Shallon (1997-1999)

Coro de Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) = Spanish Radio and Television Chorus

Founded as “Los Cantores Clásicos” in 1950, it was conducted by Roberto Plá until 1952, when it became the "National Radio Chorus" under Odón Alonso until 1958, when Alberto Blancafort took over. Subsequent incumbents have been Pedro Pírfano, Pascual Ortega, Jordi Casas, Miguel Amantegui, Alberto Blancafort once more as Guest Conductor, László Heltay, Mariano Alfonso and Josep Vila. Jordi Casas is currently the new Chief Conductor.

The Spanish Radio and Television Chorus is considered one of the finest choral ensembles in Spain, its work in the field of our sacred and profane polyphony unmatched; likewise, its repertoire includes numerous contemporary works by Spanish and foreign composers.

Apart from its performances with the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and its many concerts both "a capella" and with other instrumental groups, the chorus has sung at International Music Festivals in Barcelona, Santander, Granada, etc., and at Cuenca’s Sacred Music Weeks, the Toledo Decenas de Música, Opera Festivals in Madrid and at EXPO 92. On an international level it is notable for participating in the Flanders Festival and, in June 1990, at the Saint Petersburg International Festival. Singers such as Teresa Berganza, Isabel Penagos and Pedro Lavirgen have formed part of the chorus.

It has recently increased its recording activity both on its own and in collaboration with the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, with the publication by RTVEMúsica of compact discs dedicated to carols, zarzuelas and opera galas.

In 2000, the Chorus commemorated the 50th anniversary of its creation with special concerts, an edition of historic recordings from its foundation to the present, and it premiered Tríptico by Miguel Hurtado, winner of the Anniversary Choral Composition Competition.

Source: Liner notes to the album "Gerardo Gombau: Música para solistas, coro y orquesta" (Verso, 2013)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (August 2018)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Rubén Dubrovsky

Choir & Orchestra

[V-2] (2009, Video): BWV 248/1-6

Links to other Sites

Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro RTVE (Official Website) [Spanish]
Orquesta y Coro page on Facebook
RTVE Symphony Orchestra (Wikipedia)