Ataulfo Argenta
Ataulfo Argenta was a leading Spanish conductor who appeared to be developing an important career that was cut short by his early death at the age of forty-four.
He was a musically talented child who attracted considerable attention as a pianist, then entered the Royal Conservatory in Madrid at the age of thirteen in 1927. He won a Premio Extraordinario in piano at the Conservatory in 1930, and the Kristina Nilsson Prize in 1931.
The latter prize enabled him to study piano and conducting in Belgium and Germany. These studies saw him safely outside of Spain when the Civil War broke out in that country. After the end of that conflict, when general war broke out in Europe in 1939, he returned to neutral Spain where he worked in a variety of musical jobs, including staff keyboard player (mostly piano and celesta) with the National Orchestra in Madrid.
He returned to Germany for more studies from 1941 to 1943, studying conducting with Carl Schuricht and teaching piano at the Kassel Conservatory, then returned to Spain and made his conducting debut on a broadcast concert with the national radio orchestra.
His first performance with Spain's National Orchestra was on October 10, 1945. It is remembered as a brilliant debut and it led to his being appointed the orchestra's music director in 1947, a post he retained until his death.
He first conducted outside of Spain when pianist José Iturbi hired him to be his conductor in a performance the pianist organized at Harringay Arena in London; the orchestra was the London Symphony. This began a demand for his services as guest conductor with various European orchestras and on South American tours. He also founded a major music festival in Grenada.
He signed a contract with England's Decca record company and specialized in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century music, especially Spanish music. Among his most notable recordings was the opera Goyescas by Enrique Granados and the symphonic work Danzas fantasticas by Turina, which remained in the LP catalogue for over twenty years. His conducting style was lean, muscular, and precise. He was considered to be on the verge of a major international career when he died.
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Ataúlfo Argenta por Manuel de Falla
World - Released by 2024 Artyvoz Digital on 19 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Julius Katchen, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Music Manager on 4 Feb 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major
Julius Katchen, Ataulfo Argenta, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Ancien Prodige on 6 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in a Major
Julius Katchen, Ataulfo Argenta, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Ancien Prodige on 6 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 2
Narciso Yepes, Christian Ferras, Orquesta Nacional De España, Orchestre National de France, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 6
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 9
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Julius Katchen, Ataulfo Argenta, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic del Mar, Vol. 3
Sir Georg Solti, Ataulfo Argenta, Herbert von Karajan
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 17 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 3
Orchestre National de France, Teresa Berganza, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend: Alfredo Campoli, Vol. 9
Alfredo Campoli, London Symphony Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 1 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Conductor Legend: Ataúlfo Argenta, Vol. 10
Ataulfo Argenta, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Classical - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
Ataulfo Argenta, The National Orchestra of Spain, Narciso Yepes
Concertos - Released by Sunday Club Records on 28 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo