Federico Moreno

TORROBA
Guitar Concertos • 2
Homenaje a la seguidilla
Tonada concertante
Concierto de Castilla

Pepe Romero and Vicente Coves, Guitars

Extremadura Symphony Orchestra
Manuel Coves
Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982) more and more to the works of our composers who, second movement, Andante, is especially introspective
Homenaje a la seguidilla • Tonada concertante • Concierto de Castilla dispersed by the Civil War – an entire generation – die twice, and foregrounds the composer’s lyrical muse. A brief
because the first death was that of incurable nostalgia.” scherzo-like movement, marked Allegro moderato,
Torroba and the Guitar Concerto wrote music, and in several cases these new collaborations Local critics in Buenos Aires also sang the praises of connects the slow and final movements. The concluding
provided the impetus for his creativity. These performers Costanzo and the new work, describing it as “abounding Allegro is a cheerful, dancelike romp that makes colourful
Federico Moreno Torroba is among the most salient included not only the Romeros but also Narciso Yepes, in attractive and playful ideas, nobly conceived and use of percussion and winds.
figures in the modern repertoire for the classical guitar. Irma Costanzo and Michael Lorimer. realised, with a modernism that does not resort to
Indeed, he may well have been the first prominent Torroba’s guitar works have two things in common absurdity and cacophony to establish itself as modern”. Concierto de Castilla (1960)
composer to write for the instrument who was not himself with his zarzuelas. First, they are eminently lyrical and The first movement recalls the opening of Falla’s
a guitarist. There is considerable irony in this fact, as present us with a cornucopia of evocative and memorable Noches en los jardines de España in its gauzy and The year 1960 was pivotal in Torroba’s turn towards the
Torroba was principally a man of the theatre. He got his melodies. Torroba described himself as a “melodist,” one mysterious evocation of the seguidilla, with its triple metre concerto. In December of that year he wrote to Segovia to
start writing zarzuelas (operettas) in Madrid and would whose operatic idol was Puccini. Second, they are with intermittent hemiola, Andalusian scale, and use of say that he had finished his Concierto de Castilla, the first
eventually compose about seventy such works over a grounded in the Spanish folklore that Torroba knew so castanets. The arrival of the solo part heralds increasing of his ten concertos. This was first recorded by Renata
period of four decades. He was among the most well, including Andalusian flamenco. animation and drive, with the distinctive seguidilla rhythm Tarragó and the Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid in
successful composers of zarzuelas in the genre’s history, of an eighth followed by two sixteenths repeated over and 1962 on the Hispavox and Columbia Masterworks labels.
his biggest hit being Luisa Fernanda (1932), which has Homenaje a la seguidilla (1962) over. The guitar part features rasgueo (strumming) The work is in three movements, marked Adagio –
been performed over fifteen thousand times. However, passages and lightning-fast picados (scales) evocative of Allegretto moderato, Andante, and Andante – Allegro
that is but one of several of his works that have found a The seguidilla is a type of lively song and dance in triple flamenco. Occasional asides in free rhythm seem to moderato, with the outer fast movements both featuring
permanent place in the zarzuela repertoire. metre that exists in regional varieties. It is especially suggest the interjections of a solo singer, in contrast to slow introductions. The work highlights not only virtuosic
How Torroba came to compose for the guitar can be characteristic of Castile but also found in Andalusia, as the more dancelike sections. What one also detects here is guitar playing but also the composer’s imaginative
summed up in a single word: Segovia. Andrés Segovia was playful sevillanas or very serious siguiriya. Torroba’s the admixture of harmonies that evoke not only Andalusia handling of the orchestra, especially the writing for winds.
an early admirer of his music, and around 1920 he Homenaje a la seguidilla is a loving homage to this but also American jazz. Torroba was a great lover of Torroba was always composing zarzuelas, even when he
persuaded Torroba to write something for the guitar. From characteristically Spanish type of music. Dedicated to Broadway musicals and of Gershwin’s music, so that his was writing a concerto. Thus, the work features a free-
this collaboration came a long list of masterworks, including Narciso Yepes, who gave the initial première in Paris in works of the 1970s in particular often exhibit a fragrant spirited lyricism evocative of the folklore of Castile, a vast
such classics as the Suite castellana, Piezas 1962, it is in three movements, marked Andantino, mélange of Spanish and North American elements. The expanse in the middle of the Peninsula with which the
características, and Castillos de España. Indeed, he Andante, and Allegro sostenuto. However, Torroba was second movement is a languid idyll, exhibiting Torroba’s composer strongly identified. Born in the heart of Madrid in
eventually composed about a hundred works for the guitar. not content with his effort and continued to revise the work inveterate lyricism. The final movement is a technical tour 1891, he spent his entire life there. His Castilian Concerto
Urged on by Segovia, Torroba made some early attempts over a period of several years. Its formal première finally de force, and some passages may again suggest Falla, is the logical and heartfelt expression of this identity.
at a concerto, but these efforts did not bear lasting fruit until took place in 1975, at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, especially El amor brujo, a work Torroba knew very well. The three works on this recording are entirely
the 1960s, the decade in which Torroba devoted increasing with the composer conducting and Irma Costanzo as representative of the great composer’s style in both their
attention to writing for the guitar rather than zarzuelas, soloist. Costanzo was a native of Buenos Aires who had Tonada concertante (1975-80) lyricism and Spanish ambience, so it is something of a
which were by then going out of style. And Torroba became studied with Yepes and Uruguayan virtuoso Abel mystery why they have enjoyed relatively little currency on
nothing if not prolific in writing concertos for guitar(s) and Carlevaro. Yepes recorded the Homenaje in 1976 and, During the years 1975-80, Torroba laboured over a new the concert stage and the recording studio. These
orchestra, a fact that this recording makes very clear. By after further substantial revisions, it was recorded again in concerto, which he fancifully entitled Tonada concertante, performances, by artists who display a profound rapport
the end of his life, he had composed ten such works, more 1981, with the composer conducting the English Chamber a tonada being a type of theatrical song of the eighteenth with the composer’s music, will do much to generate interest
even than his friend Joaquín Rodrigo. His concertos are Orchestra and Ángel Romero as soloist (this revision was century. Ángel Romero premièred the Tonada concertante in and a long overdue revival of Torroba’s guitar concertos.
mostly for solo guitar, though Nocturnos is for two guitars, dedicated to Ángel). As Federico Sopeña said of this work: in 1982, though it was dedicated to his father, Celedonio.
and the Concierto ibérico, for four. This latter concerto was “[In the case of Moreno Torroba,] without subjecting Torroba had every reason to be completely satisfied with Walter Aaron Clark, University of California, Riverside
inspired by Rodrigo’s Concierto andaluz and, like that work, himself to any fad, faithful to himself and secure within that these renditions, and the Romeros thus developed a very William Craig Krause, Hollins University
it was written for the celebrated Romero Guitar Quartet. In faith, his Homenaje a la seguidilla is like an autobiographical close and warm friendship with him. The concerto is in Authors of Federico Moreno Torroba:
fact, during the period in which he wrote his concertos, anthology, which one listens to with pleasure. I believe that four movements. The opening Andante – Allegro A Musical Life in Three Acts (Oxford, 2013)
Torroba was expanding the circle of guitarists for whom he the hour has arrived in which our programming will open movement is notable for its playful good spirits, while the
Pepe Romero Vicente Coves
The guitarist Pepe Romero has been honoured by kings, Born in Jaén in 1982, the guitarist Vicente Coves lived in
Photo: Jesús Ruiz
heads of state, and major institutions, but his most Linares until 1997, when he moved to Granada. Since
important contribution has been to communicate the 1997 he has been a disciple of the legendary Pepe
richness and beauty of the classical guitar to millions of Romero. His career has brought him international
people throughout the world. He has, indeed, become an acclaim, with appearances in many countries since the
ambassador of classical music, and, correspondingly, of age of eleven, as a soloist in the Orquesta Filarmónica de
the classical guitar. He is the second son of the great Buenos Aires, the Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE (Spanish
guitarist Celedonio Romero, and brother of the two Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra), the Youth
guitarists Celin and Angel Romero. Born in Málaga in
Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Málaga Philharmonic
1944, by the age of seven, he had appeared on the
Orchestra, the Orchestra della Toscana, the Cologne
concert stage for the first time, at the Teatro Lope de
Chamber Orchestra, the Orquesta de la Comunidad de
Vega in Sevilla. More than fifty years later, he continues
Madrid, the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, the
to mesmerise audiences throughout the world. During
Extremadura Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta de
that time, he has given literally thousands of concerts
worldwide, many with the remarkable Romero Quartet, Córdoba, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Ecuador,
and many as a solo instrumentalist. He has worked with the Orquesta Nacional de España, the Orquesta
almost every major conductor, and has to his credit more Sinfónica de Galicia and the Qatar Philharmonic, among
than sixty recordings, among which are twenty concerto others. He has collaborated with conductors such as
recordings with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Adrian Leaper, Isaac
with both Neville Marriner and Iona Brown. Pepe Romero Karabtchevsky, Juanjo Mena, Miquel Ortega, Enrique
has given premières of works by some of the finest Diemecke, Manuel Coves and John Neschling, and has
composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, played alongside such artists as Pepe Romero, María
and Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Lorenzo Bayo, Esperanza Fernández, Horacio Ferrer and Enrique
Palomo, Padre Francisco de Madina, Paul Chihara, Morente. Coves has appeared in prestigious concert halls
Enrique Diemecke, Ernesto Cordero, and, most such as the Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires), the
poignantly, Celedonio Romero, have written Tchaikovsky Great Hall (Moscow), the Auditorio Nacional de España and the Köln Philharmonie, among others. In 2008
compositions for him. Always a champion of music by he was awarded the Rubinstein Medal by the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Vicente Coves is the founder and
composers from earlier periods of music history, he has president of the European Guitar Foundation. www.vicente-coves.com
also delved into rare archives to re-explore lost pieces by
Fernando Sor, Mauro Giuliani, Francesco Molino,
Ferdinando Carulli, Johann Kaspar Mertz, Luigi
Boccherini, and others. Amid many honours and
Photo: Jesús Ruiz distinctions Pepe Romero holds an honorary doctorate in
music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and
the University of Victoria, British Columbia. In June 1996 he received the Premio Andalucía de la Música, the highest
recognition given by his native country for his contribution to the arts. In addition His Majesty King Juan Carlos I
of Spain knighted Pepe Romero and his brothers into the Order of Isabel la Católica. www.peperomero.com
Extremadura Symphony Orchestra Manuel Coves
A regular collaborator with the Teatros del Canal in Madrid,
Manuel Coves has conducted Rigoletto, Don Carlo, Otello,
Carmen, La Bohème, Candide, Pepita Jiménez, El Caballero
de la Triste Figura, The Threepenny Opera, Luisa Fernanda
and Entre Sevilla y Triana. He conducted the zarzuela
anthology Viva Madrid, Guridi’s El Caserío, the ballet Sorolla
(Ballet Nacional de España), and a tribute to Antonio Ruiz
Soler with the Ballet Nacional de España, as well as Messiah,
Carmen and Don Quijote with Compañía Nacional de Danza.
Among the concert halls in which he has conducted are the
Teatros del Canal, Madrid, the Gran Teatre del Liceu,
Barcelona, the Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid, the Palau de
Les Arts, Valencia, the Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao, the Royal
Opera House Muscat, Oman, the Campoamor, Oviedo, the
Baluarte, Pamplona, the Principal de Palma and the Teatro
Lirico, Cagliari. He has worked with orchestras such as the
Madrid Symphony Orchestra, the Valencia Community
Orchestra, the Orquesta of the Teatro Lírico of Cagliari, the
Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the
National Symphony Orchestra of Ecuador, the National
Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, the Extremadura
Symphony Orchestra, the Loja Symphony Orchestra, the
Oviedo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Málaga Philharmonic
Photo: Jesús Ruiz
Orchestra, the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of
Photo: Domingo Cáceres the Teatro Argentino de la Plata, the Balearic Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, the
Brasilia National Orchestra and the Real Filharmonía de Galicia. Next season he will be conducting at the Teatro Real,
Since its creation by Extremadura Council in 2000, the Extremadura Symphony Orchestra has been an instrument for Madrid, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste, the
the dissemination of musical culture in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura. It presents a regular season of Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten and the Teatro de la Zarzuela, among others.
concerts largely in Badajoz, Cáceres, although it maintains regular activity elsewhere in Extremadura. The
Extremadura Symphony Orchestra has collaborated with many distinguished conductors, and has performed in major
concert halls including the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, the Kursaal in
San Sebastián, the Euskalduna in Bilbao, the Prince Felipe Auditorium in Oviedo, and the Theatre Auditorium of San
Lorenzo de El Escoria in Madrid. The orchestra has collaborated with the Fura dels Baus, the Royal Ballet of Covent
Garden, London, English National Ballet and the National Ballet of Spain, among others. Its repertoire ranges from
eighteenth-century to contemporary music, with a policy of encouraging new works. Jesús Amigo was its titular and
artistic director from 2000-2012. Since September 2012, its principal conductor and artistic director has been Álvaro
Albiach. The Fundación Orquesta de Extremadura, with Extremadura Council, the Diputación Provincial de Badajoz, Special thanks to Walter Clark.
the Diputación Provincial de Cáceres, and the University of Extremadura, support the orchestra’s activities in the Guitars made by Pepe Romero Jr. (Pepe Romero, no. 90; Vicente Coves, no. 206)
Autonomous Community of Extremadura.
Left to right: Manuel Coves, Pepe Romero, Vicente Coves
Photo: Jesús Ruiz
Federico Moreno Torroba composed about one hundred works for the guitar, thereby reinforcing
his status as one of Spain’s great twentieth-century composers. Homenaje a la seguidilla pays
lively tribute to that characteristically Spanish song and dance, while the Tonada concertante is in
turns playful and introspective. Concierto de Castilla features a free-spirited lyricism evocative of
the folklore of Castile, a vast expanse in the middle of Spain with which the composer strongly
identified. ‘You would expect Pepe Romero to excel at the Concierto en Flamenco... The piece is
gorgeous, the performance vibrant and passionate... The soloist in Diálogos is Romero’s gifted
pupil, Vicente Coves, who plays as well as his mentor, and whose brother leads the orchestra
vividly and sympathetically.’ (ClassicsToday.com on Volume 1, 8.573255)

Federico Moreno
TORROBA
(1891-1982)
Homenaje a la seguidilla Concierto de Castilla
(1962) 30:31 (1960) 22:52
1 I. Andante – Allegretto 13:02 8 I. Adagio – Allegretto moderato 8:29
2 II. Andante 9:59 9 II. Andante 6:20
3 III. Allegretto – Andante – 0 III. Andante – Allegro moderato 8:03
Sostenuto 7:30
Tonada concertante
(1975-80) 26:17
4 I. Andante – Allegro 10:30
5 II. Andante 10:12
6 III. Allegro moderato 2:18
7 IV. Allegro 3:17

Pepe Romero, Guitar 1-7 • Vicente Coves, Guitar 8-0

Extremadura Symphony Orchestra • Manuel Coves
Recorded at the Palacio de Congresos, Badajoz, Spain, from 13th to 16th July, 2015
Producers: José Luis Sánchez (Cheluis Salmerón) and Thomas Bößl
Engineer and editor: José Luis Sánchez • Booklet notes: Walter Aaron Clark and William Craig Krause
Publishers: Cantabrian Music (tracks 1-7); UME (Unión Musical Española) (tracks 8-10)
Cover: Castilian windmill by David Acosta Allely (123RF.com)