"Kadenza", the result of a new commitment by the Basque National Orchestra to world-class contemporary music

One of the primary goals since the founding of the Basque National Orchestra has been to record the musical legacy handed down by Basque composers and composers from beyond our borders. The BNO also aims to promote and support the work and career of Basque musicians today. The Orchestra has already recorded more than 40 albums, including the Basque Composers Collection and a wide selection of musical genres, periods and authors.
Kadenza is the result of a new commitment by the Basque National Orchestra to world-class contemporary music, in this case represented by Sofia Gubaidulina (Chistopol, Tatarstan, Russia, 1931). Although it may seem somewhat of a contradiction, this CD of contemporary music is the work of composer who is a legend in her own time.

Two acclaimed Basque musicians feature on the CD: accordionist Iñaki Alberdi and cellist Asier Polo. These two internationally-known soloists join Gubaidulina to bring listeners a truly excellent recording. A group of string instrumentalists from the Basque National Orchestra round out the cast. The CD was recorded under the direction of José Ramón Encinar, a master in contemporary music who in 2008 conducted the BNO in its first opera recording, Gernika, by Francisco Escudero. Encinar has also joined the Orchestra on other projects.

Recorded under the Dutch label ET'CETERA, this CD contains four tracks (Seven Words, In Croce, Kadenza y Et exspecto) offering the perfect sampling of Sofia Gubaidulina's work. According to Elixabete Etxebeste, author of the programme notes, "the religious spirituality in her compositions shows an open mind, a vivid attitude and a vision of humankind in its most constructive state, between the joy of existing and the responsibility of existence. All of this comes together in a deep, raw emotion-filled programme painted with a variety of brushstrokes."

Versatility, a mark of identity. The Orchestra looked to the past with the release of Volume 14 of the Basque Composers Collection dedicated to Pedro Sanjuán. In its second CD recorded in 2011/2012, the Orchestra turns its attention once again to contemporary music. Previous recordings of contemporary music have featured work by Ramon Lazkano, Angel Illarramendi, Luis de Pablo and Christian Lindberg, in addition to Gernika. And before the season comes to a close, a third album will be added to the Orchestra's discography: the first symphonic CD by Kepa Junkera.