[CANCELLED] Salish Sea Early Music Festival: 18th-Century Solo Harpsichord in Spain – Irene Roldàn, harpsichord
CANCELLED
- Irene Roldàn, harpsichord
Antonio Soler — Selected works
José de Nebra — Selected works
Félix Máximo López — Selected works
Carlos Seixas — Selected works
Note: Irene Roldàn's solo performances on June 23 (Seattle), June 24 (Tacoma) and June 25 (Bellingham) have unfortunately been cancelled. SSEMF plans to reschedule these performances for next season.
Irene Roldàn from Spain, one of Europe's prominent young prize-winning harpsichordists, will perform "The 18th-Century Harpsichord in Spain" 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.
Salish Sea Early Music Festival will give three performances of this program around the Puget Sound region:
- Sunday, June 23, 7:30pm at Faith Lutheran Church in Seattle
- Monday, June 24, 7pm at St. Luke's Memorial Episcopal Church in Tacoma
- Tuesday, June 25, 7pm at First Presbyterian Church in Bellngham
The 2024 Festival will consist of nine unique programs total, spanning January through June 2024. Please see www.salishseafestival.org/ for more info.
About Irene Roldàn, harpsichord
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, was recorded in June 2023 with the the support of Fondazione Cariverona.
https://ireneroldan.com/