18th-C entury Solo Harpsichord in Spain - Irene Roldàn - Salish Sea Early Music Festival

Irene Roldàn from Spain, one of Europe’s prominent young prize-winning harpsichordists, will perform “The 18th-Century Harpsichord in Spain” on Monday, June 24 at 7:00 PM at St. Luke’s Memorial Episcopal Church in Tacoma in this eighth 2024 Salish Sea Early Music Festival program. The program will include Sonatas, Sinfonias, Preludios and Ricercares for solo harpsichord by Sebastián de Albero (1722-1756), Antonio Soler (1729-1783), José de Nebra (1702-1768), Félix Máximo López (1742-1821), and from Portugal Carlos Seixas (1704-1742). The listener will step into the heart of 18th-century Iberia, where the vibrant court of Madrid stood as a focal point for the flourishing of rich keyboard music. Domenico Scarlatti, with his masterful keyboard sonatas, cast a considerable shadow over contemporaneous composers unfairly labeled as mere imitators. Sebastian de Albero, Jose de Nebra, and the Portuguese Carlos Seixas forged unique voices while incorporating a wide range of influences into their work, from the Spanish Golden Age and Iberian folklore to Italian virtuosity. Hidden gems, like Nebra's symphonies, await discovery. As Scarlatti's sonatas remain iconic, the listener will delve into the overlooked brilliance of these composers, poised for a deserved spotlight in the keyboard repertoire. Throughout the first half of the eighteenth century, the Royal Chapel in Madrid served as a professional destination for several prominent composers, fostering a diverse array of musical styles. The lingering echoes of the Spanish Golden Age coexisted with the influence of Italian musicians within the court. Additional elements, spanning from the depths of traditional folklore to the nuances of the French style, contributed to create a distinctive Spanish musical language, one that also found expression in the realm of keyboard music. Amongst the composers who cultivated keyboard genres in eighteenth-century Spain, the figure of the Neapolitan Domenico Scarlatti unquestionably stands out. The musical richness and avant-garde technique of his keyboard sonatas, as well as his close affiliation with the Spanish royal family, ensured him a wide network of influence and popularity that has continued to this day. Nevertheless, Scarlatti's impact in the Iberian Peninsula has often eclipsed the achievements of other contemporaneous composers, often unfairly categorized as mere imitators. The truth is that each of these musicians, while undoubtedly influenced by the Neapolitan master, forged a unique and personal keyboard language which, in a reciprocal manner, might have left their mark on Scarlatti himself. The richness and merit of the musical production of these composers, left by history in the shadow of Scarlatti, embraces them in a more prominent position in the repertoire for keyboard instruments. About the Artist: Award-winning harpsichordist Irene Roldán was born in southern Spain in 1997. Described by the press as one of the most prominent Spanish harpsichordists on the international scene (ABC Sevilla), Irene currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. She gained international recognition in 2021, when she won first prize, never previously awarded in this competition, as well as the audience prize at the III. International Harpsichord Competition «Città di Milano». In the same year, her ensemble Flor Galante secured the first prize at the IV. International Bach Competition in Berlin. One year later, Irene was honored with the prestigious Bach Prize and an additional special award at the XXXIII. International Bach Competition held in Leipzig, Germany. Irene cultivated a profound passion for the harpsichord when she was 7 years old and has studied in Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland with Jacques Ogg, Menno van Delft, Andrea Marcon and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher. She received a special award for her exceptional closing Master’s performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where she is pursuing an additional Specialized Master’s Degree in Basso Continuo and Maestro al cembalo. Irene has performed in solo recital for festivals across Europe, such as Seville Early Music Festival (FEMÁS), Urbino Musica Antica, Val di Zoldo International Early Music Festival, Mars en Baroque, Amici della Musica di Padova, Roma Festival Barocco, Fundación Juan March, Académie d’Orgue de Fribourg (Les Canisius), FEMUBA, and others. She has had the honor of performing as soloist with several orchestras and under the direction of Maurice Steger, Jacques Ogg, Alfredo Bernardini and Eduardo López Banzo. Her own ensemble, Flor Galante, focuses on reviving unexplored eighteenth-century music from the Galant period. Her debut album, “Scarlatti & Beyond” which was recorded in June 2023 with the the support of Fondazione Cariverona. — Also on Monday, July 8 at 7:00 PM at St. Luke's: • Johann Sebastian Bach • with harpsichordist Irene Roldan and baroque flutist Jeffrey Cohan

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