Remacha Villar, Fernando (1898-1984)

Fernando Remacha (Tudela, 1898 – Pamplona, 1984) was one of the most distinctive figures in 20th-century Navarran music. He began his musical studies in his hometown before moving to Madrid, where he trained with teachers such as José del Hierro and Conrado del Campo. There, he became immersed in the capital’s vibrant cultural life, participating in the so-called Musical Generation of ’27 and becoming a member of the Group of Eight, which played a decisive role in advancing his career.

The Spanish Civil War abruptly cut short his career. Upon returning to Tudela, Remacha endured years of isolation and hardship, even taking refuge for a long period in the back room of the family hardware store. However, far from abandoning his creative work, he maintained his connection to music through sheet music, books, and European radio broadcasts, which allowed him to continue his artistic development under exceptionally adverse conditions. Beginning in the 1950s, by which time he had become a key figure in the musical life of Navarre—particularly as director of the Pablo Sarasate Conservatory in Pamplona—he developed a musical language of his own that was both profound and original.

It was in this context that the cantata Jesucristo en la Cruz was composed in 1963 for orchestra, choir, and soloists. The work premiered in 1964 at the Cuenca Religious Music Festival, where it won the Tomás Luis de Victoria Prize. Based on anonymous texts from Francisco Asenjo Barbieri’s Cancionero de Palacio, this score ranks among the composer’s mature works, alongside titles such as the Concierto para guitarra y orquesta (1956) and La Bajada del Ángel (1973), forming an essential part of his catalog.

The work integrates elements of 16th-century Spanish polyphony, in the tradition of composers such as Tomás Luis de Victoria and Francisco Guerrero, with techniques characteristic of 20th-century aesthetics. The result is a large-scale score of great expressive intensity, framed by a musical language that, at times, borders on atonality. Thus, the cantata emerges as a deeply introspective work that, in certain passages, evokes the drama of the text with an almost physical force.

Jesucristo en la Cruz

I. Tierra y cielos
II. ¡Oh mancilla inestimable!
III. Pues es muerto el Rey del Cielo
IV. Está la Reina del Cielo
V. Di, ¿por qué mueres en Cruz?
VI. Tú quisiste recibir

Recording date

February 26, 2025.

Performers

Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra

The current Navarre Symphony Orchestra was founded by Pablo Sarasate in 1879, which makes it the oldest active orchestral group in Spain. At present, it is part of the Baluarte Foundation, an institution financed mainly by the Government of Navarre. As such, it is the official orchestra of the Autonomous Community. In its almost one hundred and fifty years of existence, the Pablo Sarasate Symphony Orchestra has performed in the main auditoriums, opera seasons and festivals, both in Spain and abroad. On several occasions its performances have proven to be particularly relevant at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, as well as other important European auditoriums in the concert tour organised by the Universal Music label. As the preferred orchestra of composer and violinist Pablo Sarasate, its recording of the entire work of this Navarrese composer for Naxos, with violinist Tianwa Yang, has been unanimously praised by international critics. Also with this label, the Navarre Symphony Orchestra undertook a recording project with the Polish conductor Antoni Wit, the principal conductor until the 2017-2018 season. The Navarre Symphony Orchestra presents an annual season of concerts to the public of Navarre in the cities of Pamplona and Tudela, in the Baluarte Auditorium and in the Gaztambide Theater, respectively. It also organises significant social and educational activities throughout the Autonomous Community.

Perry So

Director

Perry So (Hong Kong, 1982) received early musical training in piano, organ, violin, viola, and composition. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and studied conducting at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He was awarded First Prize and the Special Prize at the 5th Prokofiev International Conducting Competition in St. Petersburg. Following this, he was appointed assistant conductor and later associate conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He has conducted more than 30 orchestras worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, the National Orchestra of Wales, the New Zealand Symphony, the Shanghai Symphony, the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, and the London Philharmonic, as well as half a dozen Spanish orchestras. Since September 2022, he has been the principal and artistic director of the Navarra Symphony Orchestra.

Coral de Cámara de Pamplona

The institution was founded by maestro Luis Morondo in 1946 with the aim of working on music from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. However, it ended up expanding its repertoire to all genres of vocal music, with a special place for contemporary composers. It has participated in many festivals such as the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada, the Graz International Festival, the San Sebastián Music Fortnight, the Vienna International Festival and the Hispano-American Choral Music Cycle in Havana. It has published more than a hundred albums with labels such as Lumen, Telefunken, Columbia, Philips, Westminster, Movieplay, ARSIS and RTVE. It has performed on stages such as the Concert Hall in New York, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Gran Teatro in Havana, the Sodre Theater in Montevideo and the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. It is sponsored by the Government of Navarre, the Ministry of Culture, the INAEM and the Pamplona City Council, with the additional collaboration of Diario de Navarra and the Caja Navarra Foundation. The Choir was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit at Work in 2005 and the Prince of Viana Prize in 2018.

David Gálvez Pintado

Director

He was born in Valencia, where he finished his higher studies in music theory, piano, choir conducting and composition. Later, he transferred to the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where he specialized in Choir Conducting, Orchestra and Composition. He has participated in opera productions and symphonic concerts alongside prestigious performers and groups. He has been a judge in competitions and symposia, and has participated in conferences around the world. As a composer, his works have been performed in the finest concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Chicago People's Music School, the Salón Grande of the San Marcos Cultural Centre in Lima, the National Theatre of Panama, the Music Palace of Valencia and the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía, among others. He has received important awards such as the National Forum of Hungarian Musicians and the Catalonia Choral Composition Prize in 2006. He is the artistic and musical director of the Coral de Cámara de Pamplona, and has fulfilled the same roles for the Young Orchestra and the Choir of Central America (JOCCA) since its foundation in 2008.

Soloists

Andrea Jiménez, soprano

Leticia Vergara, mezzo-soprano

Gillen Mungía, tenor

Iosu Yeregui, bass

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Fernando Remacha was a member of the Grupo de los Ocho and one of the most important composers of the Generación del 27. In his work, made up of more than 200 compositions, you can find several song cycles such as Juegos. Tres Canciones Galaico-portuguesas were found in the donation made by Aurelio Sagaseta to the Fernando Remacha’s collection in its archival organization. These songs, until now unknown, continue the stylistic line presented in Cinco Canciones Castellanas and Siete Canciones Vascas, with popular melodies adapted for mixed choir with four voices. The repertoire used by Remacha, Ai ondas que eu vin veer, Bailemos agora, por Deus, ai velidas and Sedia-mi eu na ermida de San Simión, belongs to the tradition of the cantiga de amigo, a Galician-Portuguese poetic genre conceived to be sung.

Recording date

December 17, 2022.

Performers

Coral de Cámara de Pamplona

The institution was founded by maestro Luis Morondo in 1946 with the aim of working on music from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. However, it ended up expanding its repertoire to all genres of vocal music, with a special place for contemporary composers. It has participated in many festivals such as the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada, the Graz International Festival, the San Sebastián Music Fortnight, the Vienna International Festival and the Hispano-American Choral Music Cycle in Havana. It has published more than a hundred albums with labels such as Lumen, Telefunken, Columbia, Philips, Westminster, Movieplay, ARSIS and RTVE. It has performed on stages such as the Concert Hall in New York, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Gran Teatro in Havana, the Sodre Theater in Montevideo and the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. It is sponsored by the Government of Navarre, the Ministry of Culture, the INAEM and the Pamplona City Council, with the additional collaboration of Diario de Navarra and the Caja Navarra Foundation. The Choir was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit at Work in 2005 and the Prince of Viana Prize in 2018.

David Gálvez Pintado

Director

He was born in Valencia, where he finished his higher studies in music theory, piano, choir conducting and composition. Later, he transferred to the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where he specialised in Choir Conducting, Orchestra and Composition. He has participated in opera productions and symphonic concerts alongside prestigious performers and groups. He has been a judge in competitions and symposia, and has participated in conferences around the world. As a composer, his works have been performed in the finest concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Chicago People's Music School, the Salón Grande of the San Marcos Cultural Centre in Lima, the National Theatre of Panama, the Music Palace of Valencia and the Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofía, among others. He has received important awards such as the National Forum of Hungarian Musicians and the Catalonia Choral Composition Prize in 2006. He is the artistic and musical director of the Coral de Cámara de Pamplona, and has fulfilled the same roles for the Young Orchestra and the Choir of Central America (JOCCA) since its foundation in 2008.

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