 With his new CD Esteban Elizondo Iriarte presents the basque composer Padre Tomas de Elduayen (1882-1953), another representative of the Basque organ romanticism. Tomas de Elduayen, born in the Basque provinces, lived after his studies first in Chile and then in Argentina where he was able to combine his pastoral work with musical practice. In 1920 he came back to Spain. In this time he started publishing his first compositions. Between 1910-20 he published several works for organ in the magazine "Musica Sacro-Hispana", mostly preludes on Basque themes as well as his cycle "The Seven last words" for voice and organ. His contemporaries gave favourable descriptions of his music: "…There he developed a chromatic style which, as a result, led to a more direct, more personal musical language based on free, impressionist harmonies with some excursions into polytonality." This CD has been recorded on the biggest organ of Spain: the cathedral del Buen Pastor (of the good shepherd) in San Sebastian houses a five-manual neoclassicistic instrument with 125 stops built by the company Organería Española SA from Azpeitia. It was built in 1954 and is considered as the biggest organ of Spain. It combines - as neoclassical instruments mostly do - elements of the baroque with symphonic timbres, contains many mutation stops and two open 32' pedal stops. Elements of the Iberian organ are there too however, also in the form of a big Trompeteria. Jesus Guridi composed his famous "Triptico del Buen Pastor" for the inauguration of the organ. The demolition of the instrument was prevented in the end of the 90s by Esteban Elizondo Iriarte who has fought vehemently for the preservation of this meanwhile historically important instrument. Thus a comprehensive restoration could be carried out three years ago. This new recording is the first of this monumental and for a longer time unplayable instrument, at least the first since the renovation. San Mauricio A la Virgen de Guadelupe Nostalgia Interludio Preludio vasco Elegia Nuestra Senora del Buen Viaje (Retablo Andaluz) San Miguel Arcángel (Retablo Andaluz) Ascendit Deus in jubilatione (Retablo Andaluz) Nuestra Senora del Rocio (Retablo Andaluz) Pentecostes La Divina Pastora (Retablo Andaluz) Berceuse Invocacion Nocturno Puesta del sol A la Virgen de la Palma (Tres Saetas) Al Cristo de la Expiracion (Tres Saetas) A la Virgen de la Soledad (Tres Saetas) Audio Samples  A la Virgen de la Soledad (Tres Saetas)NostalgiaNuestra Senora del RocioPentecostes |
