Jesús Villa-Rojo

Jesus Villa-Rojo is one of the most dynamic figures on the Spanish music scene today. Almost all Villa-Rojo’s works of the last twenty years or more feature certain constants originating from Spanish musical tradition, some melodic or modal, others based on specific intervals or colours. In the Concierto plateresco, he filters these through the prism of the Renaissance, a high-point in Spanish cultural and artistic history. Written in 2004 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Reina Sofia Chamber Orchestra, the sparkling Serenata too has points of reference in musical history, both past and present. Concierto 2, for cello - here given in its revised version, with string orchestra - is a key work in Villa-Rojo’s compositional career. Dating from 1983, the work is notable for its instrumental virtuosity and pent-up dramatic tension.