Rafael Fraga

Spanish maestro Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos (1933-2014) concluded his acclaimed international conducting career of almost six decades with two memorable years as the venerated Principal Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live in concert at the new DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, this exclusive release combines Fruhbeck de Burgos’ powerful interpretation of the complete symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven with his spectacular renderings of Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss’ Eine Alpensinfonie as well as Joaquin Rodrigo’s popular concierto de Aranjuez, featuring the world-renowned Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero.

As a special, connecting and autobiographical element for this recording, the beautiful city of Salzburg is a legendary and inspiring place that is deeply influenced by music history and which everyone involved in the production - from the composer, the conductor, the soloist to the orchestra musicians and the orchestra attendant - became hometown for at least an important period of life; in the actual as well as in the artistic sense.

Rafael Riqueni surprises again with his harmonic work and the enormous sensitivity offered by his compositions, in an album that offers both flamenco styles and free creations and that, from the constant commitment to his music, reveals some of his best titles such as «Calle Fabié »,« Benamargosa »or the taranta that gives the album its name.

Having enjoyed such fruitful collaboration with the Spanish musician Rafael Pacha (both in The Guildmaster project and albums under Kimmo's own PA artist page, plus within The Samurai Of Prog), Kimmo Pörsti insisted they should make a CD consisting of revisited material from Pacha's solo output. As Rafael says in his liner notes, there have been two major paths he has followed and combined as a musician, those of Folk (e.g. the Celtic tradition) and of progressive rock. The source albums are mentioned - without their release years though - but the liner notes concern his thoughts of the individual tracks and their recordings then and now, with a fondness for various occasional collaborations. You really can feel the labour of love attitude of this gifted multi- instrumental musician and composer.

«Parque de María Luisa» se convierte así en el regreso de uno de los mayores genios surgidos del flamenco y la música española. El esperado nuevo capitulo en la evolución musical de Rafael Riqueni, la reinvención que no cesa. Una obra que libera el impresionismo que puede surgir desde raíz flamenca, para con ello protagonizar un camino hacia la suma belleza de lugares y vivencias que permanecían en la memoria más intima del creador.

Winner of the Leeds Piano Competition at the age of just twenty, Rafael Orozco exemplified a new generation of virtuoso pianists who favoured musical expression over spectacular display. His Chopin interpretations were truly revelatory, finding poetry not only in the Préludes but also in the Études. Remastered from the original tapes in 24-bit, this double album captures the rare occurrence of a Spanish pianist tackling two all-encompassing collections in which the essence of Romanticism is distilled – a precious souvenir of the impeccable artistry of a star of late twentieth-century pianism.

Winner of the Leeds Piano Competition at the age of just twenty, Rafael Orozco exemplified a new generation of virtuoso pianists who favoured musical expression over spectacular display. His Chopin interpretations were truly revelatory, finding poetry not only in the Préludes but also in the Études. Remastered from the original tapes in 24-bit, this double album captures the rare occurrence of a Spanish pianist tackling two all-encompassing collections in which the essence of Romanticism is distilled – a precious souvenir of the impeccable artistry of a star of late twentieth-century pianism.