The film music concert is a classic at the San Sebastian Festival, and is well-established among proposals at the Velodrome, without a doubt the Festival’s most popular venue, with seating for 3,000 spectators. The conductor from San Sebastian, Juan José Ocón, will take the Orchestra through its steps in this celebratory come-together of cinema and soundtracks. 

This year’s Concert & Screening comes with the adaptations of music composed for ten films. The composers chosen for the occasion are: Alfonso de Vilallonga with La librería / The Bookshop, Joseba Beristain with Kantauri, Antón García Abril with El hombre y la tierra, Xavier Font with Soy Nevenka / I Am Nevenka, Alicia Morote with Emilia, Manel Gil-Inglada with D’Ortagnan eta hiru mosketxakurrak and Paula Olaz with a Suite taken from the following movies: Alguien que cuide de mí / Someone Who Takes Care of Me, Verano en rojo / Summer in Red, Calladita / The Quiet Maid and Bajo terapia / Under Therapy.

For this latest concert, the Basque National Orchestra will be joined on stage by the voice of Ainara Ortega, who will sing in La librería and Kantauri; the Andra Mari Abesbatza choir, who will also join the orchestra on stage for Kantauri, the Suite by Paula Olaz and D’Ortagnan eta hiru mosketxakurrak; and the violinist Cibrán Seixo for Soy Nevenka / I Am Nevenka.

As in previous years, the concert will have an added visual element: the music will tie in with the showing on a 400m² screen of a collage of scenes from the films, specifically created for this concert by the Morgancrea team. In addition, some of the composers will attend the concert and make an appearance on the Velodrome stage to introduce their work.  

Entry is free, although the corresponding invitation must be withdrawn from 14-20 September from the San Sebastian Festival information point at the Kursaal from 9:00-20:00, and from the Donostia Turismoa tourist office, Monday-Saturday from 09:00-20:00. The last remaining tickets can be collected from the Velodrome ticket box on the same day of the concert from 10:00 in the morning.  

CONCERT & SCREENING
Saturday, 21 September, 18:00
San Sebastian Festival

Alfonso de Vilallonga: La librería (Isabel Coixet)
Joseba Beristain: Kantauri (Xabier Mina+Isaias Cruz)
Antón García Abril: El hombre y la tierra (Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente)
Xavier Font: Soy Nevenka (Iciar Bollaín)
Alicia Morote: Emilia (Miguel Ángel Calvo Buttini)
Paula Olaz: Suite:
Alguien que cuide de mí (Elvira Lindo + Daniela Fejerman)
Verano en rojo (Belén Macías)
Calladita (Miguel Faus)
Bajo terapia (Gerardo Herrero)
Manel Gil-Inglada: D'Ortagnan eta hiru mosketxakurrak (Toni García)

Juan José Ocón, conductor
Andra Mari Abesbatza
Ainara Ortega, voice
Cibrán Seixo, violin
Basque National Orchestra

Approximate duration of the concert: 1h15

More information

Saturday 5 October will see the start of the 2024/2025 Season of the Miramon Matinées, which have appeared on the Basque National Orchestra’s schedule for over three decades, presenting a quality musical alternative. The Basque National Orchestra’s chamber music cycle presents a new Season, its 33^rd, as an invitation to discover the thousand facets of music in pocket format. The cycle, which has enjoyed the support of the Kutxa Fundazioa ever since its creation, will run until 31^st May and includes a total of sixteen events.

Three guest soloists invited to our Symphonic Season, international stars who combine experience and youth, will play the leading roles at the key moments. On the one hand, the violinist Pinchas Zukerman, a legend with almost six decades on stage, and the cellist Amanda Forsyth. Both will participate in the Bruch / Bruckner concert program. And on the other, Christoph Sietzen, who is only 31 years old yet has already become a leading figure, will be joined by members of our orchestra to offer a monographic percussion concert that promises to be quite a spectacle. Sietzen will premiere the Concerto for Percussion by Detlev Glanert within the framework of the Symphonic Season .

Dozens of members of the orchestra have formed trios, quartets and quintets of multiple instrumental combinations to offer a varied repertoire ranging from the baroque to the present day. And they do so in a light, relaxed and quality format, lasting approximately one hour, as an opportunity for the musicians to branch out by leaving aside their usual symphonic habitat. Liberty Taldea, Eguzkilore, Borodin Ensemble, Belharra or Barrococo are just some of the groups that will take to the stage at Miramon.

Although small string ensembles will dominate the programme, it will also occasionally depart from its characteristically reduced format to present larger groups such as Miramon Brass, with 12 members of the brass section; Izai, a small chamber orchestra of 16 members; and the guest choir Kup Taldea, with dozens of voices under the orders of Gabriel Baltés..

All these proposals make up an attractive menu in which everyone will find their own particular gem. This is the full schedule of this season's Matinees:

• 5 October: Ensemble Phantasy
• 26 October: Kup Taldea
• 9 November: Liberty Taldea
• 16 November: Miramon Brass
• 30 November: Pinchas Zukerman & Amanda Forsyth
• 14 December: Izai
• 11 January: Eguzkilore
• 25 January: Romantic Group
• 8 February: Tronboi-trifekta
• 22 February: H.E.C.
• 1 March: Ensemble Éclatant
• 15 March: Euskadiko Orkestraren Perkusio-Saila + Christoph Sietzen
• 5 April: Voragine
• 3 May: Borodin Ensemble
• 17 May: Belharra
• 31 May: Barrococo

Season and regular tickets

The general price of a season ticket for the 16 concerts is 96 euros and 75.20 euros for those who benefit from the special rate (over 65s, under 30s, season ticket holders of other cycles of the orchestra, Kursaal Eszena, K26 and K26+ cards of Kutxabank, friends of Eureka! Zientzia Museoa and Musikene).. Tickets are now on sale by calling the offices of the Basque National Orchestra (943 01 32 32) or via its website euskadikoorkestra.eus.

Single tickets are priced at 11 euros and can be purchased at euskadikoorkestra.eus, at the Kursaal Auditorium box office and on the day of the concert, subject to availability, at the box office of the orchestra's main office in Miramon.

Free bus service

The concerts will be held at 11:00 a.m., at the Basque National Orchestra venue in Miramon. To attend, the orchestra will continue to provide a free bus service for the public. It leaves at 10:25 a.m. from Gipuzkoa Plaza 4 and stops at Sancho El Sabio 18 and Avda. de Madrid 34.

More information

From 1 September tickets will be on sale for the 24/25 Season concerts by the Basque National Orchestra, which will be held in the usual four Basque capital cities starting from 27 September in Bilbao.

Tickets on sale starting at 10 euros

Tickets for all the concerts in Bilbao, Pamplona and San Sebastian can be purchased on euskadikoorkestra.eus, as well as on the websites of the venues themselves (euskalduna.eus, baluarte.comand kursaal.eus) and at the ticket booths and usual sales channels. Season tickets can still be purchased here (starting at 80 euros).

Basque National Orchestra season ticket holders, students, under-30s, over-65s, unemployed people and other groups (Artium, Kursaal Eszena…) can enjoy special prices when purchasing tickets. In addition, thanks to Última Hora Joven, people under the age of 30 can purchase tickets for all seat locations for 10 euros, 30 minutes before the start of the concert at the ticket booth of the corresponding concert venue.

Vitoria will not have ticket or season ticket sales for the time being, as the capacity of the Jesús Guridi Conservatory, where the orchestra is starting its season due to renovations at the Principal Theatre, is reduced.

24/25 Season: contrast and incantation

‘Contrast’ and ‘incantation’ are central concepts of the narrative of this new season. Contrast can be found through the combination of pieces from our habitual set-list, such as Schubert's 'The Great', Mahler's 'Seventh' and 'Ninth' and Brahms' 'Second', together with other pieces that we will be performing for the first time, from composers such as Scriabin, Szymanowski and Schoenberg.

Incantation comes courtesy of ‘Akelarre’ (Witches’ Sabbath), a cathedral piece by Pascual Aldave, who we will be commemorating on the centenary of his birth. This theme also includes Beatriz Arzamendi, with 'Sorginen soinua’ (The Sound of Witches). This will be the first time that the Arrasate born composer will be part of the orchestra’s Season Ticket Holders’ Season, as is the case with Suhar Korua, who will deliver an original concert set, also around the night. Juanjo Mena, an internationally renowned Basque conductor, returns this season and will close this Basque-inspired section.

To make this set possible, the orchestra will once again be joined by a host of outstanding artists, such as Stanislav Kochanovsky, Christoph-Mathias Mueller, Kristiina Poska and Juanjo Mena on the baton; renowned musicians such as Kari Kriikku (clarinet), Denis Kozhukhin (piano), Christoph Sietzen (percussion), Pinchas Zukerman (violin), Baiba Skride (violin) and Daniel Müller Schott (cello); and two great choirs from the region, Orfeón Pamplonés and Suhar Korua.

All the information about the 24/25 Season here

These are the Season concerts:

• Concert No.1: Aldave / Mahler
• Concert No.2: Mozart / Schubert
• Concert No.3: Schumann / Sibelius
• Concert No.4: Bruch / Bruckner
• Concert No.5: Brahms / Schoenberg
• Concert No.6: Saint-Saëns / Szymanowski (In San Sebastian, Vitoria and Bilbao) or Aldave / Szymanowski (In Pamplona)
• Concert No.7: Glanert / Brahms
• Concert No.8: Prokofiev / Scriabin
• Concert No.9: Schubert / Strauss
• Concert No.10: Mahler

More information

 Download press kit 

The Basque National Orchestra keeps increasing its already extensive archive of recordings, already containing over 80 albums, mostly paying tribute to Basque music. This time around it does so with a monographic record of Bilbao born composer Gabriel Erkoreka, which has been out for a few days now, since June 7, and has been produced with the help of the record company Ondine.

Ekaitza, Piscis and Tres sonetos para Michelangelo are three recent pieces of Gabriel Erkoreka´s composition catalogue, and they now come together in this album. All three works were created by Erkoreka for the aforementioned three soloists –Asier Polo, Alfonso Gómez and Carlos Mena–, were premiered by them and registered under their interpretation in August 2023 in Miramon. In the words of Erkoreka, “these three pieces are very relevant within my composition catalogue, very significant in that they contain a lot of information and means which provide different perspectives”.

Good friends, great artists 

Asier Polo has led the cello concert by the name of Ekaitza, Alfonso Gómez has done so with the piano concert Piscis and Carlos Mena has been in charge of Tres sonetos para Michelangelo . All three have shown enormous responsibility during the recording, aware that this is the first reference point for all three pieces.

The musical direction of this project has been in coordination with Juanjo Mena, who knows all those artists and Erkoreka´s work itself very well indeed. Here is what the composer has to say about this new project: “The interpreters are all guaranteed to perform, we have worked hard, they are marvellous and have been guided by Juanjo Mena, who knows my music well and has premiered various pieces of mine. A lot of emotion is condensed in this project”.

The soloists have had their say too on the importance of this recording. As cello player Asier Polo puts it, “Gabriel works from emotion, demands colour, emotion and involvement, and I think that makes him stand out above other composers”. In the words of Alfonso Gómez, “it is as if 50 people were speaking at once in this piece; as if every one of them tells you something different but interesting at the same time”. Carlos Mena says, in regards to the record, that it is “like joining together the roots of various artists from here, the master and the orchestra, and then projecting that to the world”. And the master himself, Juanjo Mena, thinks that “we stand before a high level recording”.

Musical heritage 

This project has great relevance in musical terms, and it projects in an integral way the essence and mission of the Basque National Orchestra in regards to pushing for cultural dissemination in Euskadi, to project musical values outwards, to serve as a stimulus and platform for Basque interpreters and composers alike and to build a collection of our musical production through the use of recordings. The Provincial Councils of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa have supported this recording, which reflects the rich musical heritage this country has.

International producer Ondine 

This is the fourth recording the Basque National Orchestra has done under Finnish producer Ondine, within the Naxos group. In the last three years, both orchestra and producer have published two CDs dedicated to Maurice Ravel, and another one on lesser known American composers (Americascapes), all under the leadership of Robert Treviño. Ondine owns a significant worldwide distribution network, which has helped position the Basque National Orchestra in an international reference market and has also helped with gathering reviews on the most prestigious specialised media (Gramophone, France Musique, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, The New Yorker…).

That partnership will soon bring with it further novelty. A second volume of the Americascapes collection has already been recorded guided by Treviño´s baton. It was registered in autumn last year and will hit the shelves in a few months’ time. Another discographic novelty is coming under Richard Strauss´ name, a German author the Basque National Orchestra had not had amongst its ranks up until now. And it will do so with two great and recognisable scores in Macbeth, symphonic poem and Domestic symphony.  The new recording is set to come out in the month of September.

More information about the pieces

The leaflet on the CD comes with a lot of information about the recording, piece by piece. The notes carry the signature of Joan Gómez Alemany.

More information

The Basque National Orchestra and Musikene have, for over a decade, had a collaboration agreement, Jordá Gela (in honour of the orchestra's first chief conductor), which covers many common concerns and goals shared by both institutions. Under this agreement, the master’s degree in Orchestral Studies as taught at the centre includes orchestral practice, having students participate in the standard instrument grouping of the symphony orchestra during its Concert Season. Another initiative included under this agreement are the students’ master classes taught by guest soloists from the Basque National Orchestra, all artists with a long track record of success and recognised international renown.

Since last year, this strategic institutional alliance has also incorporated orchestral conducting practice into the National Basque Orchestra Season subscription concerts. Eros Quesada was the first student to conduct the orchestra in June 2023, for the performance of the overture to Wagner's The Master Singers of Nuremberg. In the same vein, this season the orchestra has invited Joshua Franken, Aritz Labrador and Sara Litón to the podium. They, together with other students in the field have, over the last few months, held numerous training meetings with the chief conductor Robert Treviño have now been chosen out of those students in training to conduct the overture to Beethoven's Fidelio during the final concerts of the 23/24 Season of the National Basque Orchestra.

Below are details of their participation by day and venue:

• Joshua Franken: 3 June, Kursaal Auditorium.
• Aritz Labrador: 4 June, Baluarte Auditorium.
• Sara Litón: 5 June, Euskalduna Concert Hall; 6 June, Principal Theatre; 7 June, Kursaal Auditorium.

Biographies

Joshua Franken (Duisburg, 1999)

The German Joshua Karl Bernhard Franken has felt a deep connection to music since he was a child. He studied classical singing at the Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in Maastricht. This demanding training refined his vocal skills and fostered in him a deep appreciation for the complexities of classical music. He has taken conducting lessons from Federico Santi, with whom he worked on multiple orchestral projects. In 2023, after finishing his vocal studies, he then enrolled in Orchestral Conducting at Musikene under Professor Jon Malaxetxebarria.

Aritz Labrador (Amorebieta-Etxano, 1997)

He studied Orchestral Conducting at Musikene under Arturo Tamayo and Jon Malaxetxebarria. He has also attended numerous courses and masterclasses given at the centre. He has recently premiered several works with the Ensemble Ascolta during the residency the group had at Musikene. He has worked as assistant conductor of the Euskadiko Ikasleen Orkestra (EIO) and assistant musical director of Opus Lírica, with pieces such as Pagliacci and L'elisir d'amore. He currently conducts the children's and youth orchestra of the teaching centre of the Bilbao Choral Society and is artistic director of the Amorebieta-Etxano and Areatza Bands.

Sara Litón Castillo (Leganés, 2003)

She began her musical studies at the Getafe Professional Music Conservatory, where she earned her Professional Music Degree in 2021, specialising in piano. In her third year, she is currently specialising in Orchestral Conducting at Musikene under the guidance of Professor Jon Malaxetxebarria, and previously under that of maestro Arturo Tamayo. She has also received training in the field of choral conducting from Professor Basilio Astulez, in addition to numerous other master classes. She has been conductor of the Cámara Arimaz Orchestra of Tolosa since March 2023 and since March 2024 a member of the Orquesta Joven de Andalucía as one of its conductors in training. She conducted the Ensemble Ascolta in April 2024 for a concert arranged by Musikagileak at the San Telmo Museum.

More information

SEASON TICKET HOLDERS SEASON SCHEDULE

The 2024/2025 Season Ticket Holder Season of the Basque National Orchestra will commence on 27 September 2024 in Bilbao and come to a close on 5 June 2025 in San Sebastián. There will be a total of 11 season ticket holder performances, taking place in Vitoria (10), Bilbao (10), San Sebastián (10x2) and Pamplona (10), amounting to a total of 50 concerts in the Season Ticket Holder Season.

Each image this Season tells a story and prompts us to explore the limits of our perception and to enter a world where reality blends in with fantasy, with personal dreams and fears. In short, with creation and, in this case, with musical creation. A graphic journey we take with ACC Comunicación. 

An Original Set to Discover

Just as in previous seasons, the Basque National Orchestra continues its strong commitment to discovering new sets and including less habitual international composers. In the chapter on the pieces that we shall be performing for the first time, we shall be showcasing lesser-known composers such as the Russian Scriabin (Symphony No. 2) and the Pole Szymanowski (Symphony No. 2). The large symphonic ensemble that Schoenberg used for his ambitious and dense Pelleas und Melisande, which can be heard in the fifth concert set this Season. Shortly before, in the third set, the Basque National Orchestra will perform Pelleas und Melisande by Fauré, a more intimate version than the one composed by Schoenberg. In total, the Basque National Orchestra will add eleven new pieces to its set-list, pieces which are also new to the audience, in an initiative to carry on making discoveries and growing.

In this stimulating process of discovery, special mention must be made of the prominent roles that some instruments that rarely play solos will take on. One instrument that will take centre stage will be percussion with the debut of the Concerto for Percussion by the German composer Detlev Glanert. The young Austrian Christoph Sietzen, one of today's top percussionists, will perform this premiere, which is a co-commission of three European orchestras: The Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic, Hessischer Rundfunk from Germany and the Basque National Orchestra. This joint initiative is a continuation of other previous initiatives such as Gary Carpenter's Mamu kantak (Ghost Songs), on that occasion in collaboration with a number of British orchestras.

Basque compositional and performing talent

The Basque National Orchestra will continue to further pursue its mission to promote and spread awareness of Basque creativity through its set-lists. Basque contemporary pieces will feature in the 24/25 Season set-list with Pascual Aldave and Beatriz Arzamendi.

Of particular mention is one of the most prominent symphonists of 20th century Basque music, Pascual Aldave, a composer from Navarre, whose centenary will be celebrated in 2024. The Basque National Orchestra wanted to commemorate him with his cathedral piece, Akelarre (Witches’ Sabbath), a symphonic-burlesque ballet commissioned by the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa in 1986 to commemorate the centenary of Aita Donostia and Jesús Guridi. The piece comprises four rhapsodies. Rhapsody no. 2 is set to inaugurate the Basque National Orchestra Concert Season in its four season ticket capital cities and Rhapsodies nos. 3 and 4 will be performed in Baluarte in Pamplona with Orfeón Pamplonés.

The composer from Navarre will pass the baton to composer Beatriz Arzamendi from Gipuzkoa with Sorginen soinua (The Sound of Witches) and her take on the legend of witches, something that is deeply rooted in the Basque Country.

In its efforts to promote local choral talent, this season the Basque National Orchestra has also invited Suhar Korua, a male choir conducted by Esteban Urzelai, which will give an original performance of Schubert (Canción nocturna en el bosque (Night Song in the Forest) in the form of a fanfare with only four horns on stage. The horns will provide an echo of the choir’s narrative. They will also perform a brief but complex role in the same set with a performance of the fourth movement ‘The Night’ from Strauss’ Times of the Day, which was composed to mark Schubert's centenary, and which poses a tremendous eleven-minute challenge to the choir.

Artists

The orchestra will once again welcome a host of artists to its lineup: seven conductors, eight instrumental soloists and two choirs. 

CONDUCTORS. Robert Treviño will inaugurate and close the concert season with a total of four sets (see details below). For the remaining sets, the podium will be taken up by Stanislav Kochanovsky, Christoph-Mathias Mueller, Dinis Sousa, Lukasz Borowicz and Juanjo Mena, who are all returning this Season. And we shall be welcoming for the first time the Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska, Lead Conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra.

SOLOISTS: In this section we shall be welcoming Denis Kozhukhin and Rafal Blechacz on the piano, and Christoph Sietzen on percussion, considered to be one of the current greats on this instrument and prepared to debut Glanert's Concerto for Percussion, a piece created as a result of a co-commissioning project between three European orchestras. Two greats are back on violin, the young Baiba Skride and the standout of his generation, Pinchas Zukerman. Also returning are Amanda Forsyth —as a duo with Pinchas Zukerman— and Daniel Müller Schott, both on the cello. 

CHOIRS: Orfeón Pamplonés will perform the vocals in a special set dedicated to Pascual Aldave to mark the centenary of his birth. And Suhar Korua, a male choir conducted by Esteban Urzelai, will give an original performance of Schubert (Night Song in the Forest) in the form of a fanfare with only four horns on stage.  

Robert Treviño in his eighth season as Lead Conductor

The orchestra's lead conductor will conduct four sets in the new Season. He will open with Rhapsody no. 2 of Akelarre (Witches’ Sabbath) by Pascual Aldave and Mahler’s Symphony no. 9, widely regarded as Mahler's finest work. In December, he will conduct Bruckner's Fifth and share the stage with Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth. In January he will welcome pianist Denis Kozhukhin for a performance of Schoenberg's powerful Pelleas und Melisande.  And he will bring the Season to an end with Mahler’s Seventh, entitled ‘The Night’ which also relates to the dark world of covens, spells and sorceresses that will underpin part of the Season. Including Mahler's  Symphonies no. 7 and 9 this Season, the orchestra rounds out the cycle of symphonies by the Austro-Bohemian composer with Treviño.

Incorporating the Musical Pool

This Season will involve a lot of work with young people at different stages of their musical training to become professional musicians. Young students from EIO, MUSIKENE and EGO will join the ranks of the Basque National Orchestra at different times and for different projects during the Season. EGO (the Basque Country Youth Orchestra) will open this section with Mahler's Ninth Symphony at the beginning of the Season. Musikene students will perform at the closing performance with Mahler’s Seventh Symphony. And young EIO (Euskadiko Ikasleen Orkestra) students between 15 and 19 years of age will experience sharing the podium with musicians from the Basque National Orchestra in the concerts scheduled during Easter week in Vitoria, Bilbao and Donostia. 

OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE ORCHESTRA

Recordings: Erkoreka, Strauss and American music

Another major aspect of the orchestra's activity is its recordings, the collection of which will exceed 80 volumes this season, primarily focussing on Basque pieces. A recording dedicated to Bilbao born composer Gabriel Erkoreka will be released internationally on 7 June, a musical event with a fully Basque feel to it, which we will talk about during its official presentation on 10 June. 

This release was recorded under the Ondine label, like the second volume of the Americascapes collection, which focuses on lesser-known American composers. The second volume was recorded last autumn and will be released in a few months.

Another major new recording bears the name of the German composer Richard Strauss who the Basque National Orchestra had never previously recorded with. And it will be doing so with two majestic and renowned pieces: Macbeth, Symphonic Poem and Domestic Symphony.  This new recording will be made in September, again under the Ondine label.

In the last three years, the Basque National Orchestra has recorded with this Finnish label two compact discs dedicated to Ravel, two by American composers, Gabriel Erkoreka and the latest one by Richard Strauss. Ondine boasts an important worldwide distribution network, which has allowed the Basque National Orchestra to establish itself in a benchmark international market with reviews in the most prestigious specialist media (Gramophone, France Musique, BBC Music Magazine, Diapason, The New Yorker…).

Shared Projects

The orchestra will remain devoted to the ABAO Bilbao Opera Season, Musika-Música of Bilbao, the  BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards Ceremony, the San Sebastian Musical Fortnight Zinemaldia and Musikaste. It will include new events such as the 25th anniversary of the Kursaal Auditorium, the celebration of the La Caixa Participatory Messiah and a Tribute to the Tolosa born composer Eduardo Mocoroa, organised by Arakil Fundazioa. The orchestra's Miramón Matinees and Musika Gela will be performed at a later date.

ARTIS+, Art for Social Inclusion

The Basque National Orchestra has joined a European project named ARTIS+, Art for Social Inclusion. This is a collaborative project with the area of the Pyrenees serving as the backbone and is being developed between the south of France, the Basque Country and Catalonia. It seeks to strengthen culture's role in population groups at risk of exclusion due to disabilities or social exclusion.  It will run for three years, 2024-2026, and the Basque National Orchestra will implement the goals of this project in its different cycles: This will be implemented the most in the Miramon Matinées and Musika Gela with Concerts for School Children, Family Concerts, workshops and a dedicated project called Kantata, which will be implemented specifically for this purpose It will also be featured in the Season Ticket Holder Season, with the Abestu Euskadiko Orkestrarekin (Sing with the Basque National Orchestra), a new initiative for which a choral piece will be commissioned and in which anyone wanting to sing along can do, thereby forming a popular choir of sorts.

TICKETS AND SEASON TICKETS

From the 24/25 Season onwards, the Basque National Orchestra will relocate its concerts to the Jesús Guridi Music Conservatory with Vitoria's Teatro Principal having been closed for refurbishment. This move is still being arranged, and will also affect ticket and season ticket sales.

Season ticket reservations from 1 July

New season tickets will be on sale immediately after the renewal period for current season ticket holders. Reservations can be made from 1 July at euskadikoorkestra.eus, by calling 943 01 32 32 or sending an email to abonatuak@euskadikoorkestra.eus.  Season tickets will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to availability. The price of the season tickets for 10 concerts has been kept the same for the new season and ranges between 80€ and 235€.

Sale of individual tickets from 1 September

All tickets will go on sale from 1 September at euskadikoorkestra.eus and on the auditoriums’ websites and in ticket offices (except in Vitoria). Prices range between 10€ and 40€. Discounts still apply for different groups and this is one of the categories that works out best: Last Minute Youth, Last Minute Youth, tickets at 10€ for all areas, for under 30s and from 30 minutes before the concert.

PATRONAGE: New ways to support the orchestra

Patronage allows people interested in contributing to the implementation of this national cultural project to do so with their contributions. It is a vital tool for the future, supplementing public administration subsidy policies, and is set to become a means by which to contribute to and support the development of culture and society. Any form of contribution to the orchestra will be eligible for tax deduction. For further details visit euskadikoorkestra.eus

THANKS

Finally, the orchestra would like to thank the important collaboration and support of all the entities that take part in performing the various activities: its season ticket holders and audiences in general, sponsors and collaborating organisations, cultural agents, the media, etc., who make the Basque National Orchestra's activities possible.

More information

Following an initial concert at the Brucknerhaus in Linz and two more at the Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg, the Basque National Orchestra will today bring its successful tour of Austria to a close with a final concert in the great hall in Mozart's hometown.

There was a feeling of great success on the first day in Salzburg with Reinhold Glière's Harp Concerto in the magical hands of French soloist Xavier de Maistre and Dmitri Shostakovich's Tenth. But yesterday, February 8th, success was evident when the Basque National Orchestra and its conductor Robert Treviño focused on Ravel as the highlight of its programme. The last two recordings devoted to the Ziburu composer are renowned for their great success all around the world. The secret: presenting Ravel through his own eyes, his most Basque vision. Following Bizet's first suite from Carmen and a commanding version of Alberto Ginastera's Harp Concerto by Maistre in the first section of the concert, the Basque National Orchestra and Treviño played The Jester's Aubade, Spanish Rhapsody and Pavane for a Dead Princess in Salzburg's Grosses Festspielhaus until they reached the popular and universally acclaimed Boléro. And at this point the orchestra pulled out all the stops, responding to Ravel's whims and integrating the various instrumental families in the crescendo that the composition sets.

An enormous ovation roared through the hall for various minutes, much to the delight of the programmer, Thomas Heissbauer, who did not hesitate to point out that, "this reaction from such a select audience is by no means typical", and at the same time confirmed, "the importance and desire to bring other cultures and lesser-known orchestras to the city, who show what excellent musicians they are and who are excellent ambassadors for their countries". Andoni Iturbe, Vice-Minister of Culture of the Basque Government, who attended the first two concerts in Salzburg, made a similar statement: "I am extremely proud to be Basque and that you are representing the Basque Country", he said to the entire orchestra during their afternoon rehearsal, "it is very moving; you are proving to be wonderful cultural ambassadors". 

Robert Treviño and Oriol Roch were congratulated by the audience, who were also intrigued by Amorosa from the Ten Basque Melodies by Jesús Guridi, which the orchestra performed as an encore, together with Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5 and Gerónimo Giménez' Intermediate from Luis Alonso's Wedding.

On the banks of the Danube in Linz

The Brucknerhaus in Linz hosted the concert that marked the beginning of the Austrian tour on Tuesday, February 6th. Linz is Bruckner's homeland and also a place with a long musical tradition. Its concert hall has some of the best acoustics in Europe and here, on the banks of the Danube, an extensive collection of Ravel works was also performed, as well as Ginastera's Harp Concerto, once again in the hands of the French harpist Xavier de Maistre, a wonderful companion on this tour.

In Salzburg, with Mozart's permission

Today the Basque National Orchestra will repeat its programme in Salzburg, performing Ravel's Bolero as the centrepiece. And with this, it will bring to a close a top-tier and extremely ambitious international tour, once again vindicated by its musicians, who have travelled to this city with the dignity and respect required to perform in one of the most important venues for classical music. It is no secret that Salzburg combines a number of magnificent qualities that make it one of the most renowned cities in the world when it comes to art and culture. It is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the most influential and distinguished musicians in history, and home to one of the most popular and important classical music festivals in the world. This festival is held at the Grosses Festspielhaus (Great Festival Hall), which is set against the stunning Mönchsberg mountainside and boasts one of the largest stage boxes in the world at a width of 100 metres. The city rounds off its credentials by being listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

And a Basque tree in the Austrian woodland

The Grosses Festspielhaus holds 2,200 people. Combining the three performances, more than six thousand people will have experienced the Basque National Orchestra during this visit to Salzburg (approximately seven thousand if the audience in Linz is also included). A third of the audience comes from the city itself, another third from the region and the last third from Germany, a neighbouring country that jumps at the chance to come to the concerts in Salzburg. Tickets cost up to €99.

Interestingly, the artists are not gifted with flowers after their performance; from this season, and as a memento of their time in Salzburg, each artist or orchestra will have their name carved on a tree, as part of a plan for reforestation and conservation of the Austrian woodland.

Euskadi Basque Country / Baskenland

The Euskadi Basque Country brand has been part of these concerts in its German version, Baskenland. The Basque Tourism Agency has joined this tour to promote and establish Euskadi as a quality cultural asset, in this case by means of the Basque National Orchestra.

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Next week, the Basque National Orchestra will embark on a new international tour, this time to Austria. It will start its concerts on 6 February at the Brucknerhaus in Linz, where it is returning after five years, followed by three concerts in Salzburg on 7, 8 and 9 February at the prestigious Grosses Festspielhaus. The orchestra will perform three different programmes and will include Ravel, Shostakovich, Bizet, Ginastera and Glière on its lecterns.

The orchestra was scheduled to visit Salzburg in 2021, but was unable to go because of the pandemic. The concert promoter suggested alternative dates to the orchestra and now the time has come to visit the city. The orchestra came to both Salzburg and Linz during its first tours in the ‘80s. Forty years later, it is now returning to Salzburg and Linz, although it did visit the latter city in 2018 as well.

In the words of Oriol Roch, the general director: "The Basque National Orchestra's visit to Salzburg and Linz is a symptom of equating with the great European symphonic ensembles, on the one hand, and on the other, it represents a cultural representation of the country. We will be performing an ambitious, extensive and large-scale concert. The fact that Central European programmers in as renowned locations as Salzburg request outstanding international compositions such as Shostakovich is proof of the orchestra's endeavours and its impact beyond our borders. Internationally distributed recordings have played a major role in this. It comes as no surprise that the orchestra will perform with Ravel, whose works it has recorded on two albums on the Ondine label, having received excellent reviews for its renditions of the universal composer from Ciboure."

Principal conductor Robert Trevino will once again be leading the Basque National Orchestra on this new tour. He says, "Linz is one of the most important concert halls in Europe and we are very much looking forward to our return following our 2018 tour of Austria and Germany. The audience is certainly looking forward to hearing the orchestra again. And what can I say about Salzburg? Mozart's hometown and the birthplace of classical music, home to one of the most important and prestigious festivals in the world. This is a very special moment for me as the orchestra's principal conductor."

The orchestra will be accompanied on this trip by Xavier de Maistre, arguably the most influential harpists of recent decades. His professional origins were quite remarkable: at the age of 16 he began winning prestigious international competitions, and at the age of 22 he became a harp soloist with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. Three years later he became lead harpist of the one and only Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he held for eleven years. However, De Maistre chose to say goodbye to Vienna to pursue a career as a soloist, a bold move that has seen him play with the world's top orchestras and conductors and become a benchmark figure for this instrument in the classical world, striving to popularise it.

De Maistre has collaborated with the Basque National Orchestra on numerous occasions. He did so as part of the prestigious Basque Composers Collection that the orchestra recorded with the Claves Records label between 1997 and 2012, releasing 15 monographic albums by as many Basque composers. De Maistre played the harp on the albums dedicated to Tomás Garbizu and Aita Madina, conducted by Cristian Mandeal, and released in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Also, in 2007, he took part in the orchestra's Subscription Season in works by Aita Madina and Carl Reinecke, and, taking advantage of this visit, he gave a harp concert at the Miramon Matinées. In 2021, he took part in another Basque National Orchestra concert programme, this time performing Ginastera's Harp Concerto, a piece that he will perform again on this tour, together with Glière's Harp Concerto.

Travel and concert schedule

The orchestra will embark on its tour on Monday, 5 February, the day before the first concert in Linz. After this first concert, the orchestra will travel to Salzburg on 7 February, where it will give three consecutive concerts: 7, 8 and 9 February. It will return to the Basque Country on Saturday the 10th.

This city is located in the north-east of Austria and the Danube River runs through it. It is the capital of the state of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) and the third most populous city in the country, after Vienna and Graz. It is home to 203,000 inhabitants and has a metropolitan area of more than 700,000.

Brucknerhaus
The Brucknerhaus is the Linz congress centre, named after the composer Anton Bruckner, who was born in a district of Linz. The building was designed by the Finnish architects Heikki and Kaija Siren and inaugurated in 1974.

It plays host to approximately 200 performances each year, drawing in over 180,000 people. Some of the major festivals it plays host to are the Ars Electronica Festival (a digital music, art and technology festival that takes place annually in early September) and Brucknerfest (a classical music festival that has been held between September and October since 1974, with the Brucknerhaus as the main venue).

The concert hall is renowned for its excellent acoustics and is internationally recognised as one of the major institutions of classical music.

It is known for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and for hosting the world's most popular and important music festivals. Besides this, the old city centre is a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg Festival

The orchestra will play its three concerts at Grosses Festspielhaus (Great Festival Hall), home to the Salzburg Festivals. The construction of the hall began in 1956, when 55,000 cubic meters of stone were quarried from the Mönchsberg mountainside to make room for the vast stage enclosure, which, covering a width of 100 meters, is one of the largest in the world. The auditorium has a square floor plan, with 35 meters on each side, and seating capacity for 2,179 people. From the main entrance, the audience enters the hall via five large bronze doors. The hall is lit by Murano glass chandeliers. The theatre was inaugurated on July 26, 1960 with a performance of The Knight of the Rose by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) is a major music and theatre festival which has been held since 1920. It is regarded as one of the most important and most popular music and theatre festivals in the world. The festival is held every summer in July and August. Since 1973 an extension of the same festival has also been held during Pentecost, focusing on classical and baroque music, and since 1967 there has also been a parallel festival during the Easter season, with an emphasis on works by Richard Wagner.

Dates, Cities and Programmes

Over the course of four concerts on four consecutive days, the Basque National Orchestra will perform three different programmes, each featuring different combinations of works by Ravel, Ginastera, Glière, Shostakovich and Bizet.

• 6 February: Linz, Brucknerhaus (Programme 1), 19:30
• 7 February: Salzburg, Grosses Festpielhaus (Programme 2), 19:00
• 8 February: Salzburg, Grosses Festpielhaus (Programme 3), 19:00
• 9 February: Salzburg, Grosses Festpielhaus (Programme 3), 19:00

Robert Trevino, conductor
Xavier De Maistre, harp
Basque National Orchestra

PROGRAMME 1 (Linz)

M. Ravel: Waltz, choreographic poem [12']
A. Ginastera: Harp Concerto with orchestra [23']
M. Ravel: Alborada del gracioso [8'], Spanish Rhapsody [16'], Pavane for a dead princess [6'], Boléro [13']

PROGRAMME 2 (Salzburg, 7 February)

R. Glière: Harp Concerto with orchestra [27']
D. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 [57']

PROGRAMME 3 (Salzburg, 8 and 9 February)

G. Bizet: Carmen. Suite No. 1 [12']
A. Ginastera: Harp Concerto with orchestra [23']
M. Ravel: Alborada del gracioso [8'], Spanish Rhapsody [16'], Pavane for a dead princess [6'], Boléro [13']

Euskadi Basque Country / Baskenland

The Euskadi Basque Country brand will be at these concerts in its German version Baskenland. The Basque Tourism Agency is joining this tour to promote and brand the Basque Country as a quality cultural asset, in this case by means of the Basque National Orchestra.

More information

The Basque National Orchestra's Music Room gets off to a strong start with over 50 activities in the new season. It is a series with a long tradition in the orchestra's programming, created with the aim of bringing music to the public in general and in particular to society’s younger members. The concerts it offers are educational, pedagogical, accessible, and are aimed at different age groups.

Four of its own productions

Year by year, the Basque National Orchestra is committed to creating its own productions with original scripts and shows created expressly to be launched within its educational series. A total of four productions of its own are scheduled for this Season.

The first of this season's productions, Elkarrekin sortu, is an innovative concert in which the audience will be a key component of the music played. Among the wide repertoire for chamber ensemble proposed in this production, the participation of the Bilbao composer Helga Arias, resident in Switzerland, is a particular highlight with her work Egunsentia-Ilunabarra (for ensemble and video). This work proposes nine nature scenes represented both by images (by means of a video projection) and sounds, creating a 13-minute soundtrack. These sounds are created collaboratively between the musicians and the pupils/audience. On the one hand, the 50 schools participating in this first production have created the music that accompanies this series of images, using everyday objects and their voices as a basis. The children therefore become composers of contemporary music, which is a unique experience for them. On the other hand, the ensemble of musicians who will be on stage will accompany and complete the previously recorded composition live with the sounds made by the pupils.

The other three own productions are as follows: Pantomima a fun story of music and theatre told through a repertoire ranging from the Baroque to Romanticism; Polikinela, a symphonic party that will make the vocal cords and the bodies of our audience vibrate; and Misterioa, with a plot based on mysteries and riddles, typical of the characters of the commedia dell'arte.

These four productions are presented in two formats, Concerts for Schoolchildren and Family Concerts.

Concerts for Schoolchildren

On the one hand, it is expected that over the course of the entire season over 11,000 pre-school, primary, and secondary education pupils will attend the Concerts for Schoolchildren of these four productions. Pupils from around 100 schools in Altzo, Aizarnazabal, Andoain, Hernani, Hondarribia, Irun, Oiartzun, Orio, San Sebastián, Segura, Tolosa, and Usurbil, among others.

The Concerts for Schoolchildren currently receive the support of the General Assembly of Gipuzkoa, Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, the Education Department of San Sebastian City Council, and Kursaal Eszena.

Family Concerts

On the other hand, the productions will be carried out in San Sebastian and Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Family Concert format, the longest-running and most established within Music Room. This cultural leisure alternative to enjoy as a family with young children has been a constant feature of the orchestra’s programming for 27 years.

The Family Concerts in San Sebastian are sponsored by El Diario Vasco, and the one that will be performed at Kursaal, Misterioa, has been organised in collaboration with Kursaal Eszena. The concerts in Alava’s capital city, on the other hand, are supported by the Municipal Theatre Network of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Tickets can be purchased for all the events, with prices ranging between three and eight euros, on the website euskadikoorkestra.eus as the date for each show approaches. Tickets can also be purchased at the ticket booths and on the websites (kursaal.eus, principalantzokia.org) of the corresponding venues.

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The 2023-2024 Miramon Matinée Season will begin on Saturday, 7 October at the headquarters of the Basque National Orchestra. The matinées have been running for more than three decades as part of the Basque National Orchestra's schedule, offering a quality musical alternative. For another Season, the Miramón headquarters of the Basque National Orchestra will thus become a kaleidoscope through which to discover the thousand faces of music on Saturday mornings. The season, which since its creation has been supported by Kutxa Fundazioa, will extend until 8 June and includes a total of sixteen events.

Dozens of members of the orchestra have formed trios, quartets and quintets of multiple instrumental combinations to offer a varied repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the present day. All of this in a light, relaxed and quality format, lasting approximately one hour, which is an opportunity for the musicians to diversify, to leave their usual symphonic habitat. Bikoitz, Miramon Brass, Belharra, Aeolia Ensemble or the Cuarteto Aurora are just some of the formations that will take to the stage in Miramon.

As special guests, two important choirs from the region ‒Landarbaso Abesbatza and Euskal Herriko Gazte Abesbatza‒ and the internationally renowned pianist Alfonso Gómez from Vitoria-Gasteiz, who has previously participated in our Season Concerts, feature in this season's programme performing Ravel's famous Concerto in G Major.

All of these proposals make up an attractive menu where everyone can find their own particular treasure. This is the complete schedule of this season's Matinées:

• 7 October: Cadenza Taldea
• 14 October: Bikoitz
• 28 October: Buys Ensemble
• 18 November: Miramon Brass
• 2 December: The Flying Elephant
• 16 December: Alfonso Gómez
• 13 January: Cuarteto Ritmus
• 10 February: Landarbaso Abesbatza
• 24 February: Belharra
• 9 March: Trío Emilia
• 23 March: Aeolia Ensemble
• 13 April: Euskal Herriko Gazte Abesbatza
• 27 April: Cuarteto Aurora
• 11 May: Bost metalak
• 25 May: Xarma
• 8 June: Enescu Ensemble

Cadenza Taldea opens the Matinées Season next Saturday

The ensemble of fifteen musicians Cadenza Taldea begins the new season of the Miramon Matinées next Saturday, 7 October at 11:00, with a concert titled ‘¡Al campo!’ (‘To the countryside!’). The Basque National Orchestra percussionist Anthony Lafargue will conduct the chamber orchestra, which is made up of the following members: Ortzi Oihartzabal (violin), Esther Alba (viola), Gabriel Mesado (cello), Paloma Torrado (double bass), Hélène Billard-Alirol (flute), Pascal Laffont (oboe), Sara Zufiaurre (clarinet), François Proud (bassoon), Didier Bousquet (trumpet and cornet), Daniel Ruibal (trombone), Julien Garin (percussion), Jaime Atristain (percussion), Iván Bragado (harp) and Javier Pérez de Azpeitia (piano). All the performers are members of the Basque National Orchestra except the percussionists and the pianist.

The programme launching this new Season of the Miramon Matinées is a combination of two exceptional works that promise to captivate classical music lovers.

The first of these will be Les instruments en campagne by French composer Jerome Naulais, known for his ability to blend different styles and genres to create exciting and captivating pieces of music. This work transports us to a rural French setting, with melodies that evoke the image of green fields and a clear blue sky.

The second work, Eleven Studies for Eleven Players by the recently deceased American composer Ned Rorem, is an exploration of texture and colour in music. Rorem, one of the most influential composers of 20th century American music, was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades throughout his career. The one to be performed at this Matinée is a piece that has been acclaimed for its unique structure and its ability to evoke emotions through its notes. The work is full of contrasts that defy the listener's expectations and is a complex and emotional musical experience.

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