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Tomás Bretón: Songs & Piano Trios
Natalia Labourdette · Victoria Guerrero · Carles Civera · Alejandro Olóriz
IBS Classical presenta un ambicioso proyecto dedicado a la figura de Tomás Bretón (1850–1923), uno de los compositores clave en la construcción de una identidad musical española moderna. Este lanzamiento se articula como un doble CD que revela dos facetas complementarias —y aún poco exploradas— de su catálogo: la intimidad del Lied y la solidez de su música de cámara.
El CD1 reúne una cuidada selección de canciones para voz y piano, centradas en las célebres Seis poesías de Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1887), junto a otras piezas como Désir o La castañera. En ellas, Bretón se sitúa en diálogo directo con la tradición europea del Lied, mostrando una escritura de gran refinamiento expresivo, donde la voz oscila entre la introspección lírica y un aliento casi operístico, sostenida por un piano de notable protagonismo y virtuosismo . Esta faceta revela a un compositor profundamente influido por Schubert, Schumann o Liszt, pero con una sensibilidad propia que busca integrar la poesía española en un lenguaje cosmopolita.
El CD2 se adentra en la vertiente camerística de Bretón con su Trío con piano en mi mayor, obra de largo proceso creativo que refleja su conocimiento de la tradición centroeuropea y su afinidad con el lenguaje romántico internacional. Completan el programa los Quatre morceaux espagnols (1913), páginas tardías en las que el compositor se aproxima, con elegancia y sutileza, a las nuevas corrientes de la música española de comienzos del siglo XX . Este contraste entre ambas obras permite trazar un arco evolutivo que va del clasicismo romántico a una tímida apertura hacia el nacionalismo moderno.
El proyecto está interpretado por un sólido conjunto de artistas: la soprano Natalia Labourdette y la pianista Victoria Guerrero, reconocidas especialistas en repertorio de Lied, junto al violinista Carles Civera y el violonchelista Alejandro Olóriz, músicos de amplia trayectoria en el ámbito sinfónico y camerístico.
Grabado en el Auditorio Manuel de Falla de Granada, este doble álbum no solo recupera un repertorio de enorme valor, sino que reivindica a Bretón más allá de su imagen ligada a la zarzuela, presentándolo como un creador comprometido con la modernización de la música española y plenamente integrado en la tradición europea.
Un lanzamiento que invita a redescubrir a Bretón desde la doble perspectiva de la voz y la cámara, dos lenguajes complementarios que definen su universo creativo.
About (ENG)
PRESS RELEASE
Tomás Bretón: Songs & Piano Trios
Natalia Labourdette · Victoria Guerrero · Carles Civera · Alejandro Olóriz
IBS Classical · IBS72026
IBS Classical presents an ambitious recording devoted to Tomás Bretón (1850–1923), a central figure in the emergence of a modern Spanish musical identity. Conceived as a double album, this release brings together two complementary—and still largely overlooked—facets of his output: the intimate world of art song and the structural richness of his chamber music.
CD1 offers a carefully curated selection of songs for voice and piano, centred around the Six Poems by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1887), alongside works such as Désir and La castañera. In these pieces, Bretón engages directly with the European Lied tradition, revealing a refined expressive language in which the vocal line moves between lyrical introspection and an almost operatic breadth, supported by a highly prominent and virtuosic piano part . This repertoire places him in dialogue with composers such as Schubert, Schumann and Liszt, while maintaining a distinctive voice rooted in Spanish poetry.
CD2 explores Bretón’s chamber music through the Piano Trio in E major, a work of extended gestation that reflects both his cosmopolitan outlook and his deep understanding of the Austro-German tradition. The programme is completed by the Quatre morceaux espagnols (1913), late works in which Bretón tentatively engages with the evolving musical language of early twentieth-century Spain . Together, these works trace an arc from Romantic classicism to a subtle openness towards modern Spanish idioms.
The recording brings together a distinguished group of performers: soprano Natalia Labourdette and pianist Victoria Guerrero, acclaimed for their work in the Lied repertoire, alongside violinist Carles Civera and cellist Alejandro Olóriz, both highly active in the symphonic and chamber music scenes .
Recorded at the Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada, this double album not only revives a repertoire of remarkable quality but also repositions Bretón beyond his well-known association with zarzuela, presenting him instead as a composer deeply committed to the renewal of Spanish music and fully engaged with the broader European tradition.
A release that invites a rediscovery of Bretón through the dual lens of song and chamber music—two complementary languages at the heart of his creative voice.
The Players
Natalia Labourdette – soprano
Born in Madrid, she studied voice at the UdK Berlin. Winner of several international singing competitions, she won the “Rising Star” Award at the 2023 Catalonian Operatic Critics’ Circle for her performance in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. She has been a member of the ensemble of the Aalto Theater Essen (Germany). Her repertoire includes the roles of Gilda (Rigoletto), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Norina (Don Pasquale), and Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel). She has also performed in various world premieres and historical revivals. She has sung in the main theatres of cities like Madrid, London, Rome, and Berlin, among others.
Victoria Guerrero – piano
Originally from Jerez de la Frontera, Victoria was awarded with the Franz Schubert Prize by the Franz Schubert Association of Barcelona in 2025. In 2022 she won the Jury’s Special Prize at the Internationaler Hugo Wolf Wettbewerb, and in 2017 she has been distinguished with Best Pianist awards at both the Das Lied – International Song Competition and the Paula Salomon-Lindberg Liedwettbewerb in Berlin. She has performed extensively in festivals and venues such as the Bonn Schumannfest, the Ciclo de Lied at Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Schubertiada of Vilabertran, and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. Alongside her concert activity, Victoria works as a pianist at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg.
Carles Civera – violin
Born in Massamagrell (Valencia), he graduated with high distinction from ESMUC, where he studied with Raquel Castro. He subsequently finished his Masters at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg (Germany) with Simone Zgraggen and Sebastian Hamann. He complemented his studies with teachers such as Mauricio Fuks, Yuval Gotlibovic and Richard Deakin. He received chamber music lessons with Casals Quartet, Rainer Schmidt, Eberhard Feltz, and Ferenc Rados. From 2017 to 2019 he played with the Munich Philharmonic. Since 2021 he has a permanent position as violinist in the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.
Alejandro Olóriz Soria – violoncello
Originally from Pamplona, Alejandro Olóriz Soria has been part of various ensembles and orchestras. For three years he played with the Sinfonieorchester Basel and with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana. Since 2019 he has been a member of the Menuhin Festival Orchestra in Gstaad. Currently he is the principal cello of the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla. In the field of chamber music, he works with ensembles such as Bambú Ensemble, Camerata Penedès, and the Seikilos Quartet. His two main teachers have been Asier Polo and Enrico Dindo.
