Los Musicos de su Alteza
In 1992 Luis Antonio González founded Los Músicos de Su Alteza with the intention of recovering the best Spanish music from the 17th and 18th centuries in the finest possible artistic and historically accurate conditions, within the context of international music of those centuries (from Monteverdi to the classic Viennese, with a special focus on Bach) and by applying criteria supported by musicological research. From the beginning, long-term collaborations were established between the members of the ensemble, many of which continue today, and which always search for communication, understanding and cooperation, beyond that of normal collaborations between freelance musicians. The ensemble has also been based in Saragossa (Aragón, Spain) since its beginnings. 1996 represented the first breakthrough in the career of Los Músicos de Su Alteza: they won an award at the Van Wassenaer Festival in The Hague and began collaborations with several record labels in Spain (Arsis—for which they recorded their first CD in 1996—and Prames) France (Hortus) and the United States (Dorian Records). During these first years, there was a special emphasis on the recovery of Spanish vocal music from the 17th century, especially that of a composer who was practically unknown and who proved to be a revelation: Joseph Ruiz Samaniego. In 2000, they founded the Festival Música Antigua en la Real Capilla de Santa Isabel, with the support of the Provincial Government of Saragossa, which they organised until 2011, and began a new phase by creating the first Baroque orchestra in Aragón. This new orchestral ensemble would hereby allow them to present a broader, more ambitious repertoire, including cantatas, suites and concerts by Bach or concerti grossi by Händel, and even symphonies by Haydn. With this expansion of the instrumental and vocal ensemble, they were able to take on the task of recovering the music of José de Nebra, one of the most important Spanish composers of all time, and they revived his works in all genres (the opera Amor aumenta el valor -released on the label Alpha-, the autos sacramentales El diablo mudo and La divina Filotea, Oficio y Misa de Difuntos, Miserere a dúo -recorded for Música Antigua Aranjuez-, villancicos y cantadas…). They also began their collaboration in stage productions (Cuarenta horas, La divina Filotea, Il vigilante Dio), which they combined with conventional concerts and new recordings for the label Alpha (Outhere Music), which they began to work with in 2008. During this time, Los Músicos de Su Alteza have performed on stage with considerable success at the largest festivals in Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain, Mexico, Romania and Tunisia. In recent years, Los Músicos de Su Alteza have shared their experience with young musicians through courses and workshops. Consequently they have led several projects at the Conservatory of Music of Aragón(CSMA), the Conservatorio de las Rosas (Morelia, Mexico) and the International Early Music Festival in Daroca (Spain). From 2017 onwards Los Músicos de Su Alteza are Resident Ensemble in the Audditorium of Saragossa (Spain).
Luis Antonio González
Luis Antonio González’s concern about the performance of historical music and his interest in research and the recovery of musical heritage led him, on the one hand, towards historical musicology and on the other hand, towards the historically informed performance of music as an organist, harpsichordist and conductor. He studied at the Conservatory of Saragossa (Spain), the Universities of Saragossa and Bologna (Italy, with a scholarship from the Reale Collegio di Spagna) and numerous specialization courses in several European countries. José V. González Valle, José L. González Uriol, Willem Jansen, Lorenzo Bianconi and Salvador Mas have been especially influential in his education. After receiving a PhD in History, mastering in Musicology, he joined the former Spanish Institute of Musicology of the CSIC, Spanish Council of Scientific Research (now the Department of Historical Sciences-Musicology, IMF-CSIC), where he is a Research Scientist. Since 2000, he has run the Keyboard (organ and harpsichord) Postgraduate programme of the CSIC and from 2006 to 2014 he was director of Anuario Musical, the oldest and most prestigious Spanish musicological periodical. He has authored more than 150 publications, with a strong focus on historical performance practice and on the recovery of Spanish music from the 17th and 18th centuries. These included editions on the work of Joseph Ruiz Samaniego (fl. 1653-1670) and José de Nebra (1702-1768). He is regularly invited as a lecturer to courses, seminars and conferences in Europe and America (Universität Mozarteum of Salzburg; Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles; Universität Leipzig; The City University of New York; the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; the universities of Oviedo, Saragossa, Extremadura and Cadiz; the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; the Technical University of Valencia; the International University of Andalusia; the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya; the Music Conservatory of Aragón; the International Course in Early Music in Daroca; the Conservatorio de las Rosas, Morelia, México; the International Organ Academy of Mexico; the Laboratorio di Musica Antica di Quartu St.’Elena, etc.). He coordinates the in-depth research of the Music Archive of the Saragossa Cathedrals—which is one of the richest historical musical archives in Spain—and advises on the restorations of historical musical instruments for the Provincial Government of Saragossa. In the field of musical practice, he participated in a range of initiatives (such as the Ritornello ensemble, together with Marta Almajano and Puri Ramos) before founding Los Músicos de Su Alteza in 1992. He has performed in Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Romania, the United States, Mexico and Tunisia. His discography includes a dozen albums for the labels Arsis, Prames, Hortus, Dorian and Alpha (Outhere Music). In his dual role as researcher and performer, he has been recognised both in Spain and abroad: The National Award for the Humanities, the Rafael Mitjana Musicology Award, the Uncastillo Foundation Award, the Defensor de Zaragoza Award, Diapason d’Or, La Clef, Muse d’Or, the Prelude Classical Music Awards, etc. He is a Full Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Luis (Saragossa, Spain).
Olalla Alemán
La soprano murciana Olalla Alemán inicia sus estudios musicales a la edad de diez años en el coro infantil del Orfeón Fernández Caballero (Murcia), donde recibe sus primeras clases de solfeo y piano. Más tarde cursa estudios de grado medio de canto en el Conservatorio Manuel Massotti Littel de Murcia y en Madrid, en el Conservatorio Teresa Berganza. Posteriormente en Barcelona estudia Canto Histórico y Canto Clásico y Contemporáneo en la Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC). Ha colaborado con numerosas formaciones nacionales e internacionales como: la Capella Reial de Catalunya, Orquestra Barroca Catalana, Forma Antiqva, La Tempestad, Camerata Iberia, La Caravaggia, Consort de violas de gamba de la Universidad de Salamanca, B’Rock, dirigida por Skip Sempé, Música Temparana (Adrián van der Spoel), Capilla Flamenca (Dirk Snellings) y Graindelavoix (Björn Schmelzer), entre otros. Desde 2005 es miembro estable de Los Músicos de Su Alteza que dirige Luis Antonio González. Como solista ha actuado en los más importantes festivales de Europa y América Latina. Ha realizado grabaciones para la radio clásica belga Klara, RNE y France3. También como solista ha realizado grabaciones discográficas para los sellos Música Antigua Aranjuez, Arsis, Verso, Enchiriadis, Glossa y Alpha, destacando las grabaciones de los papeles protagonistas en Amor aumenta el valor de José de Nebra y Jephte de Carissimi (Los Músicos de Su Alteza, Alpha-Outhere Music).
