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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España
London Symphony Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Oct 5, 1958
24-Bit 176.4 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
Julius Katchen, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 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 Feb 14, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ataúlfo Argenta: Complete Decca Recordings 1953-1957
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Antología: La Colección Definitiva (Remastered)
Pop - Released by Master Tape Records on Jun 18, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 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 Jul 27, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Espana
Ataulfo Argenta, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Universal Music Ltd. on Jul 27, 2016
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 Jan 1, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Albeniz: Iberia - Turina: Danzas Fantásticas
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on May 11, 1973
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 May 16, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Arthur Grumiaux, Vol. 1: Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 & Violin Sonatas (Live)
Arthur Grumiaux, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Clara Haskil, Ataulfo Argenta, Vaclav Smetacek
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Mar 4, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Preludios e Intermedios de Zarzuela
Operettas - Released by Meta - Vocación Musical on Feb 12, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Segovia & Contemporaries, Vol. 9: Sainz de la Maza
Spain National Orchestra, Regino Sainz De La Maza, Andrès Segovia, Ataulfo Argenta, New London Orchestra, Alec Sherman
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Aug 3, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ruperto Chapí: El Puñao de Rosas [Zarzuela en Un Acto] (1953)
Gran Orquesta de Cámara de Madrid, Ataulfo Argenta, Ana María Iriarte
Operettas - Released by Classical Moments on May 24, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Liszt : The Piano Concertos, Hungarian Fantasia...
Julius Katchen, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ataulfo Argenta
Keyboard Concertos - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 2002
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Festival Manuel de Falla (7 Mars 1957)
Orchestre National de la RTF - Ataúlfo Argenta - Teresa Berganza - Gonzalo Soriano
Classical - Released by Ina, musique(s) on Feb 3, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jeux Interdits (Juegos Prohibidos) B.S.O. (Remastered)
Ataulfo Argenta, Narciso Yepes
Classical - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on Oct 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Amadeo Vives: Maruxa [Zarzuela en Dos Actos] (1953)
Orquesta De Cámara De Madrid, Ataulfo Argenta, Tony Rosado
Operettas - Released by Classical Moments on May 24, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Preludios e Intermedios de Zarzuela Vol. 3
Ataulfo Argenta, Gran Orquesta Sinfónica
Operettas - Released by Digital World Music on Dec 3, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concierto de Aranjuez (Remastered)
Ataulfo Argenta, Narciso Yepes, Orquesta Nacional De España
Classical - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on Oct 26, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pablo Luna and Enrique Bru: La Chula de Pontevedra (1954)
Gran Orquesta Sinfónica, Ataulfo Argenta, Tony Rosado
Classical - Released by Classical Moments on May 9, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo