Lorenzo Palomo (10 March 1938 – 13 April 2024) was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was chief conductor of the

Valencia Orchestra The Valencia Orchestra (, ) is a symphony orchestra in Valencia, Spain. Founded in 1943 as the Valencia Municipal Orchestra, and a member of the Spanish Association of Symphony Orchestras (AEOS), it is ''not to be confused with'' the Orquesta de ...

from 1973 to 1976 and conductor and pianist of the

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...

from 1981 to 2004. Several of his compositions, often based on Andalusian traditions, were performed internationally and were recorded.

Biography

Soon after his birth in

Ciudad Real Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region. It was founded as Villa Real in 1255 as a ro ...

in 1938, where his father was stationed during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, his mother returned with him to

Pozoblanco Pozoblanco () is a town in the Córdoba Province, Spain, province of Córdoba, southern Spain, in the north-central part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located near the headwaters of the Guadamatil ...

where the family lived. Shortly afterwards, they moved to Córdoba where the composer spent his youth. Palomo studied piano and harmony at the

Córdoba Conservatory The Conservatorio Superior de Música "Rafael Orozco" de Córdoba, better known in English as the Córdoba Conservatory, is a music conservatory in Córdoba, Spain Córdoba ( ; ), or sometimes Cordova ( ), is a city in Andalusia, Spain, and th ...

and at the age of twenty he entered the

Barcelona Conservatory Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...

, where he studied composition with

Joaquín Zamacois Joaquín Zamacois y Soler (14 December 1894 in Santiago de Chile – 8 September 1976 in Barcelona) was a Chilean-Spanish composer, music teacher and author. He comes from a well-known family of Spanish artists. Biography Joaquín Zamacois y S ...

and piano with Sofía Puche de Mendlewicz. He studied conducting further with

Boris Goldovsky Boris Goldovsky (Борис Анисимович Голдовский; June 7, 1908 - February 15, 2001) was a Russian-born conductor and broadcast commentator, active in the United States. He has been called an important "popularizer" of opera in ...

in New York City, with a scholarship from the

Fundación Juan March The Fundación Juan March is a foundation established in 1955 by Juan March. The foundation produces exhibitions as well as concert and lecture series. Its headquarters in Madrid houses a library devoted to contemporary Spanish music and theater ...

. He was chief conductor of the

from 1973 to 1976 and conductor and pianist of the

from 1981 to 2004. His ballet ''La leyenda del Monte Bangkay'' was premiered in Manila, Philippines, in 1980. His song cycle ''Canciones españolas'' (''Spanish Songs'') was first performed by

Montserrat Caballé María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in New York City in 1987. His ''Nocturnos de Andalucía'' (''Andalusian Nocturnes'') for guitar and orchestra was premiered by

Pepe Romero Pepe Romero (born 8 March 1944, in Málaga, Spain) is a classical and flamenco guitarist. Biography Early life Pepe Romero was born in Spain, the second son of celebrated guitarist and composer Celedonio Romero, who was his only guitar ...

and the

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has a ...

at the

Konzerthaus Berlin The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from 1 ...

in 1996. His music was performed in concert halls including Symphony Hall in Boston),

Suntory Hall The is a concert venue in the central Akasaka district of Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Ark Hills complex, it consists of a main concert hall, widely considered one of the finest in the world for its acoustics – Herbert von Karajan called it “ ...

in Tokyo and Auditorium Tschaikowsky in Moscow. Palomo lived in Berlin for 38 years, but returned to Madrid in 2019. In 2022, he dedicated a new composition to the city of Córdoba on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Orquesta de Córdoba, ''Canto a Córdoba'', setting a text by Juana Castro Muñoz. Palomo died in Madrid on 13 April 2024, at the age of 86.

Works

Palomo composed many works for the voice, such as songs and song cycles, sometimes with optional accompaniment by harp or orchestra instead of piano. Several works were recorded. His compositions are, according to his works list:

Compositions

* ''La leyenda del Monte Bangkay'', ballet * ''Del atardecer al alba'', song cycle for voice and piano or orchestra * ''Tientos'', song for voice and piano or orchestra * ''Plenilunio'', song for voice and piano or orchestra * ''Una primavera andaluza'', song cycle setting lyrics by

Juan Ramón Jiménez Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón (; 23 December 1881 – 29 May 1958) was a Spanish poet, a prolific writer who received the 1956 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his lyrical poetry, which in the Spanish language constitutes an example of high ...

for voice and piano or orchestra * ''Nocturnos de Andalucía'', concertante suite for guitar and orchestra * ''FdB – Música para un festival'', for orchestra * ''Andalusian Divertimento'', piano trio * ''Concierto de Cienfuegos'', for four guitars and orchestra * ''Cantos del alma'', suite soprano, clarinet and orchestra * ''Madrigal y Cinco canciones sefardíes'', song cycle for voice and guitar or piano or harp * ''Dulcinea'', cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, chorus and orchestra * ''Danza-Scherzo, for oboe and piano * ''Sinfonía a Granada'', for soprano, guitar and orchestra * ''Fanfarria para una noche de estío'', for trombone quartet * Toccata, for guitar * ''Nocturno y Danza'', for orchestra * ''Rebeka's Rainbow'', fong for voice and piano * ''Mi jardín solitario'', song cycle for voice and guitar or piano * ''Perlas y lágrimas'', for guitar * ''Helianthus'', for guitar * ''El amor de los dos ositos'', symphonic fairy-tale for soprano, mezzo-soprano and orchestra * ''Pinceladas de primavera'', suite for two guitars * ''Fulgores'', for violin, guitar and orchestra * ''The Sneetches'' (''Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches)'', symphonic poem for narrator and orchestra or two pianos * ''Caribiana'', for orchestra * ''Sinfonía Córdoba'', for orchestra, including a short intervention of voice and guitar * ''Humoresca'', for double bass and orchestra * ''Arabescos'', for violin and orchestra * ''Fantasía sobre temas del folklore alemán'', for violin and guitar * ''Escenas de una primavera alemana'', song cycle for voice and guitar * ''Aldonza y Alonso'', for soprano, tenor, chorus and piano * ''Rumbalina'', for clarinet and piano * ''Sendero mágico'', song cycle for voice and piano * ''El jardín de Baco'', for marimba and orchestra

Recordings

* ''Dulcinea'', with soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin conducted by

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (17 September 1949 – 4 August 2024) was a Spanish conductor and composer. He was known for memorizing all of the players' parts and conducting without looking at the score. He held international leading chief c ...

, recorded live in 2006 at

* ''My Secluded Garden'' ** ''Madrigal y Cinco canciones sefardíes'' ** ''Concierto de Cienfuegos'' * ''Sinfonía Córdoba'' / ''Fulgores'', recorded in 2016 by soloists and the

Castile and León Symphony Orchestra The Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra (''Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León'', OSCyL for short) is a Spanish symphony orchestra based in Valladolid, the city which serves as the ''de facto'' capital of the Castile and León region. History ...

conducted by

Jesús López Cobos Jesús López Cobos (25 February 1940 – 2 March 2018) was a Spanish conductor. Early life and career López Cobos was born in Toro, Zamora, Spain. He studied at Complutense University of Madrid and graduated with a degree in philosophy. L ...

. * ''Andalusian Nocturnes'' ** ''Spanish Songs'' * ''Cantos del alma''

Honours

In 2010 Palomo was knighted into the

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

King Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until his abdication on 19 June 2014. In Sp ...

for his work disseminating the culture of Spain worldwide through his music.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palomo, Lorenzo 1938 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Spanish classical composers 20th-century male composers 20th-century Spanish male musicians 21st-century Spanish classical composers 21st-century Spanish male musicians People from Ciudad Real Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Spanish male classical composers