La Ritirata
In few ensembles it quickly becomes so apparent that the personality of its director so deeply permeates that of the group. In the case of La Ritirata, the enthusiasm, versatility, the overwhelming vitality and sensitivity of Josetxu Obregón, director and founder, are essential elements.
Josetxu Obregón is one of the most renown cellists of current early music panorama worldwide. Those who have been fortunate enough to hear him play Bach suites in concert (displaying his enormous dynamism and technical accuracy in the quick movements, and finesse and sensuality in the meditative pages) will have noticed that he is an artist who has successfully communicated his most important qualities to his ensemble. La Ritirata is a group that moves comfortably in the classical repertoire, being Luigi Boccherini, obviously, one of its key composers, but also in the lively and colourful works of the seventeenth century, with its beautiful recreations of Falconieri, Selma, Cabanilles or Castello, or in the pages of the 18th century baroque: Telemann, Handel, Bach, and many others. The group may also appear in the form of string quartet, admirably recreating the music of Mozart, Beethoven and Boccherini, or as a continuo ensemble supporting the prodigious musicality of the solo cellist, Josetxu Obregón, or in a group in which the recorder flies above the violin ornaments while a colourful continuo section brings new textures in which the melody is based.
In sum, La Ritirata is an ensemble in which to the big names of the Spanish early music scene like Lina Tur Bonet, Enrike SolinÃs or Josetxu Obregón other international artists are frequent guests like Israeli recorder player Tamar Lalo, Japanese violinist Hiro Kurosaki, and many others. Their performing powers and wonderful musicality make this group one of the busiest in Europe, and we are extremely honoured to be working with them.
La Ritirata website: www.laritirata.com
La Ritirata on Cantus:
