Homeland Judith Jáuregui, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León & Kaspar Zehnder

• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16:
• 1 Grieg. Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: I. Allegro molto moderato 13:51
• 2 Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: II. Adagio 06:51
• 3 Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16: III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato 11:11
• Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946): Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain):
• 4 de Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain): I. En el Generalife. Allegretto tranquillo e misterioso 13:51
• 5 de Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain): II. Danza lejana. Allegretto giusto 04:58
• 6 de Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain): III. En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba. Vivo 08:29
• Total Runtime 59:11

Info for Homeland

Homeland is more than just a place of birth; the term connotes a deep emotional bond between an individual and their country, their culture, and their nature. It was when composers Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) and Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) began to explore the depths of their cultural homelands that they found the compositional languages for which they are famous today. Judith Jáuregui united two of the greatest works of both composers on her seventh album, titled Homeland. Together with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and conductor Kaspar Zehnder, she recorded Grieg’s Piano Concerto Opus 16 and de Falla’s Noches en los Jardines de España.

“Edvard Grieg and Manuel de Falla are two names which have become engraved in music history as noble spirits – true to themselves in their search for a language of their own that is built on the love for the soul of their people. They brought forth two brilliant universes, shaped by originality and authenticity, a true mirror image of their connection to their homeland“ – Judith Jáuregui came to this realization through her intense work on the two pieces. She had previously performed the works during live concerts with different orchestras, providing a trove of experiences that resonate into the new recording presented on this CD.

Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concert in A minor has become – next to his Peer Gynt Suite – a symbol for literal nordic soundscapes. It was premiered in Copenhagen in 1869 and remains the only piano concert completed by Grieg. Listening to it engages our lively imagination: the piano is immediately in the middle of the dramatic action. Tumbling, falling chord progressions of the first motif can definitely be associated with the mighty waterfalls in the North. In all the following movements, too, the combination of romantic passion and folkloristic elements create an emotional depth full of pictorial power. Musicologically interesting are some stylistic parallels to Robert Schumann’s Piano Concert in A minor. It is no coincidence that Judith Jáuregui focused on Robert and Clara Schumann’s music on her previous CD, published in 2020 and titled Die romantische Seele (The Romantic Soul).

According to Judith Jáuregui, Manuel de Falla’s Noches en los Jardines de España provide “a perfect impressionistic depiction of the Spanish attitude,” in which many flamenco elements as well as elements of the Andalusian landscape come to life. De Falla’s case is similar to Grieg’s: The Spanish composer was likewise socialized through the common standards of the Central European musical world ever since taking up his studies in Madrid. His encounter with the great maestro of Spanish music, Felipe Pedrell, proved to be fateful. Pedrell had already introduced Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and Joaquín Turina to the new, “homeland-connected” ways. With Manual de Falla, this approach also fell on fertile ground. After meeting Pedrell, Manual de Falla lived in Paris from 1907 until 1914, where he was closely connected with Claude Debussy and Paul Dukas. This too left an impression on Noches, which premiered in 1916 and is a wonderful combination between Spanish passion and French 'arome'.

Judith Jáuregui, piano
Orquesta sinfónica Castilla y León
Kaspar Zehnder, direction

Judith Jáuregui
Personality, refinement and brightness define pianist Judith Jáuregui. British magazine International Piano has recently portrayed her as ‘creative intuition’, ‘an imaginative artist, a strikingly individual performer who has impressed European audiences with her maturity of expression’. Likewise, in the words of the German magazine Piano News, 'it is not only the impeccability of her performance that counts, but rather the impression of listening to a pianist who really has something to say’.

Other recent reviews outline that in her interpretation ‘everything is evocation, suggestion, of a joyful and dancelike voluptuosity”, describe her sound as ‘simply beautiful: it is a festival of polyphony and fluidity, sobriety and elegance and a rare intelligence of contrast and nuance’ (Audiophile Magazine) and remark that ‘listening to Judith Jáuregui is, above all, a discovery of a leading artist, who plays without borders and finds her truth in musical power, but also in an overwhelming interiority’ (Mediapart).

In recent years she has been enthusiastically received on leading stages, including the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Southbank Centre in London, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, Flagey in Bruxelles, Konzerthaus Berlin, Suntory Hall Tokyo, NCPA Beijing, Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, Schloss Elmau in Germany, Murten Classics in Switzerland and the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron in France, the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, amongst others.

She has collaborated with the Britten Sinfonia, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre National de Cannes, the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, the Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, the PFK Prague Philharmonia, Das Neue Orchester Köln, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Sinfonietta, Rzeszow Philharmonie, the OFUNAM in Mexico and the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela, besides the principal Spanish orchestras such as the Spanish National Orchestra, Spanish National Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, the Basque National Orchestra, the Castille and Leon Symphony or the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, having the opportunity to work, amongst others, with conductors like Jan Willem de Vriend, Gabriel Bebeselea, Kaspar Zehnder, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Andrey Boreyko, Diego Matheuz, Lina González Granados, Virginia Martínez, Víctor Pablo Pérez, Jaime Martín, Ramón Tebar, Jaume Santonja, Erik Nielsen, Günter Neuhold or Marc Soustrot.

Born in San Sebastian in northern Spain, Judith Jáuregui has a multicultural background derived from her Basque mother and her Mexican father, who grew up in France. After initial studies and a debut recital at the age of just 11, she moved to Munich to study with the distinguished Russian pianist Vadim Suchanov at the Richard-Strauss Konservatorium.

Involved in chamber music, Judith latest alliances are alongside the string quartets Mandelring Quartet, Signum Quartet and Gerhard Quartet, the violonist Soyoung Yoon and the cellist Nadège Rochat.

Highlights of season 24/25 include concerts in Germany and Spain with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, her return to ADDA Simfònica season, her debut in Armenia at the Komitas International Music Festival and her presence in major Spanish halls like the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Auditorio Miguel Delibes in Valladolid, the Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada or the Sociedad de Conciertos in Alicante.

Judith's discography reflects her broad repertoire: from the latest album 'Homeland' with Grieg Piano Concerto and Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain alongside the Castille and León Symphony that is receiving critical acclaim, to the previous one dedicated to Robert and Clara Schumann with which she was nominated to the Opus Klassik and to her other albums where she visited composers such as Granados, Liszt, Chopin, Mompou, Albéniz, Szymanowski or Scriabin.

Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León (OSCyL)
is a project of the Regional Government of Castile and León. It gave its first performance in September 1991 and has since established itself as one of the most prestigious symphonic institutions on the Spanish scene. Since 2007, it has been based at the Miguel Delibes Cultural Center in Valladolid, and Thierry Fischer has been its principal conductor since the 2022-23 season. Maestros Vasily Petrenko and Elim Chan are associate conductors. Max Bragado-Darman, Alejandro Posada, Lionel Bringuier, and Andrew Gourlay previously served as principal conductors. Since the 2022-23 season, the group has presented annual artist residencies (Javier Perianes, the Casals Quartet, and Martin Fröst, presenting Antoine Tamestit and Emmanuel Pahud this season). Starting in the 2023-24 season, it has also implemented a composition residency model (Anna Clyne in the first season and Gabriela Ortiz in the current one).

With a strong commitment to the entire Castile and León region, it regularly performs in each of its provinces, as well as at major venues and festivals in Spain. Internationally, it has performed in Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, India, Oman, and the United States, including venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The current 2024-25 season features three performances at the National Auditorium in Madrid as part of the Spanish National Orchestra and Choir season, a tour in Germany with appearances in the ProArte series at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and in Braunschweig, the fourth consecutive participation in the Musika Música festival in Bilbao, a residency at the Cartagena de Indias Festival (Colombia), and the participation of a large group of OSCyL musicians as part of the 70th anniversary tour of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, with performances at the Santander and Edinburgh festivals and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, in addition to the opening concert of the Berlin Festival held in the Philharmonie's Symphony Hall.

The OSCyL regularly collaborates with many of today's most renowned soloists and conductors and has commissioned numerous works and performed premieres and rediscoveries. This work is further enhanced by its recording catalog, which includes releases with labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Bis, Naxos, Tritó, and Verso, in addition to its own productions. This season marks the beginning of a long-term relationship with the Signum label.

The OSCyL is particularly proud of its social and educational work. Among its more than 3,500 annual members, more than 1,000 come from more than twenty towns in Castile and León, thanks to a bus service provided by the orchestra itself, aimed at promoting accessibility and extending its activities to the vast territory of the region. In addition, it actively coordinates and participates in the Miradas program (in collaboration with schools at risk of social exclusion, special education centers, and other associations), presents concerts for schoolchildren and families, participatory concerts for choirs, and performs in venues outside of its classical programming. The OSCyL carries out important outreach activities during its season, also hosting open rehearsals and music workshops for early childhood. Also notable among its educational work is the project developed by the OSCyL Joven (recently created for the 2022-23 season), which aims to promote the talent of new generations in Castile and León. This youth orchestra fosters a social spirit through volunteering and has the opportunity to work with its associated conductors, with renowned international guest maestros, and, above all, with the members of the orchestra's permanent staff, thus promoting the talent of future generations from the heart of this group.

Kaspar Zehnder
comes from the foothills of the Bernese Alps in the canton of Berne, in Switzerland. He has been principal conductor of the Philharmonie Hradec Králové (CZ) since 2018 and of the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn (CH) since 2012.

After schools until the Matura in classical-linguistic direction, he studied flute and conducting in Bern, Paris, Siena and at the European Mozart Academy. From 1999-2020 he was Artistic Director of the Murten Classics Festival and from 2004 to 2012 Musical Director at the Zentrum Paul Klee.

As a flutist, he regularly goes on chamber music tours with Magdalena Kožená, Sir Simon Rattle and other friends.

Kaspar Zehnder conducts leading orchestras throughout Europe. His repertoire includes countless symphonic and vocal works from the great oratorios of J.S. Bach to the ensemble music of our time and includes almost the entire symphonic output of the Classical and Romantic periods, with an emphasis on all that is unknown, new and newly discovered.

Booklet for Homeland