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.
© TiVo
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Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
Julius Katchen, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique by Ataúlfo Argenta (2024 Remastered, Paris 1957)
Ataulfo Argenta, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 14 Feb 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
España
Alfredo Campoli, London Symphony Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ataúlfo Argenta: Complete Decca Recordings 1953-1957
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Symphony Lounge, Vol. 15: The Magic of Zarzuela
Orquesta Nacional De España, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 11 Sep 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Torroba: Luisa Fernanda (Mono Version)
María de los Angeles, Fuensanta Solá, Manuel Ausensi, Ataulfo Argenta
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1950
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ohana: Llanto por Ignacio Sanchez Mejías & Sarabande pour clavecin et orchestre (Mono Version)
Bernard Cottret, Orchestre Des Cento Soli, Ataulfo Argenta
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Antología: La Colección Definitiva (Remastered)
Pop - Released by Master Tape Records on 18 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Falla: L'amour sorcier (Mono Version)
Ana María Iriarte, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Ataulfo Argenta
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy / Granados / Rimsky-Korsakov etc.: Images / Spanish Dance No.5 / Capriccio Espagnol etc.
London Symphony Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 27 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodrigo: Concerto d'Aranjuez - de Falla: Nuits dans les jardins d'Espagne (Mono Version)
Narciso Yepes, Gonzalo Soriano, Ataulfo Argenta
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Espana
Ataulfo Argenta, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Universal Music Ltd. on 27 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
World’s Finest Conductor
Classical - Released by Classique Perfecto on 28 Aug 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lo Mejor De La Música Española Dirigida Por Ataulfo Argenta
Operettas - Released by Legacy Recordings on 15 May 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt : The Piano Concertos & other works
Julius Katchen, London Symphony Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta, Jorge Bolet, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Campoli: The Bel Canto Violin, IV (Lalo, St-Saëns, Sarasate...)
Alfredo Campoli, Eduard van Beinum, Piero Gamba, Anatole Fistoulari, Ataulfo Argenta
Violin Concertos - Released by Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. on 1 Jan 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Symphonies 8 et 9
Orchestre Du Gurzenich De Cologne, Günter Wand, Orchestre Des Cento Soli, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albeniz: Iberia - Turina: Danzas Fantásticas
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 11 May 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gerónimo Giménez: La Boda de Luis Alonso, El Baile de Luis Alonso (1957)
Gran Orquesta Sinfónica, Ataulfo Argenta, Ines Rivadeneira
Operettas - Released by Classical Moments on 17 May 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Manuel de Falla: El Retablo de Maese Pedro (1957)
Orquesta Nacional De España, Ataulfo Argenta, Julita Bermejo
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on 16 May 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, Capriccio italien, Slavonic March & 1812 Overture (HD Remastered 2016)
Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, London Symphony Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta, Kenneth Alwyn
Classical - Released by Jube Classic on 18 Nov 2016
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo