Jesús Torres

Zaragoza ( 1965 )

Jesús Torres was born in Saragossa on 15 July 1965 of Andalusian descent, and lives in Madrid since he was ten years old. Born into a family with a long musical tradition, he started learning the violin with his uncle José Torres and later entered the Conservatorio Superior de Música of Madrid where he received his academic background. He studied composition privately with Francisco Guerrero from 1986 to 1988. His catalogue expands for over hundred works and includes twenty orchestral works and numerous works of chamber music for the most varied types of ensembles. A special interest of his is setting texts to music, above all the poetry of Vicente Aleixandre, alongside that of other literary figures including San Juan de la Cruz, Jorge Manrique, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Góngora, Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Rubén Darío, Juan Ramón Jiménez, García Lorca, Miguel Hernández, Juan Eduardo Cirlot, Leopoldo Panero, Antonio Carvajal, Fermín Cabal and Alejandro Duque Amusco.


His pieces have been performed in numerous countries at festivals and in concert series, including at the Venice Biennale, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musica 99 Strasbourg, Lucerne Festival, Musikfestspiele Saar, Ars Musica Brussels, Prèsences 2000 of Radio France, Gare du Nord Basel, Ultraschall Berlin, Konzert Theater Bern, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Khumo Festival, Quincena Donostiarra, Festival Transart, Festival de Marvão, Schwetzinger Festspiele, the SIMC Festival in Copenhagen and Bucharest, Festival de Alicante, the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (2001 and 2008), PRIX Italia, Música de Hoy, Time of Music of Vitassari, Festival Spaziomusica in Cagliari, the Mostly Modern Series in Dublin, the Royal Academy in London, Gaudeamus Music Week, Festival Manca in Nice, Ibermúsica, Prague Premieres 2008, Sound Ways Festival St. Petersburg, Festival Puentes de México, Festival Latinoamericano de Caracas, etc. He has received commissions from both private and public institutions including: INAEM (Spanish Ministry of Culture), Fundación BBVA, Siemens Stiftung, the Gaudeamus Foundation (Amsterdam), the Kaleidoscope Programme (of the EU), the Comunidad of Madrid, the Colegio de España in Paris, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, the Aula de Música in Alcalá de Henares, the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Fundación Canal, the "Cadaqués Orchestra" Conducting Competition, the Spanish National Orchestra, the Nacional Youth Orchestra of Spain, Institut Valencià de la Música, the Basque Government Department of Culture, Cameralia 2007, O.R.C.A.M., the Teatro de la Zarzuela, FestClásica, Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, Fundación Hazen Hosseschrueders, Fundación Siglo, Fundación SGAE, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Program for Cultural Cooperation (University of Minnesota), Sociedad Estatal de Conmemoraciones Culturales (SECC), etc. He has also received commissions from numerous performers.


His music has been performed by important ensembles as the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Wiener Klaviertrio, Quatuor Diotima, Brodsky String Quartet, Notos Quartett, Ensemble Köln, Trío Arbós, Plural Ensemble or Sigma Project, and conductors as Gianandrea Noseda, Gustavo Gimeno, Vasily Petrenko, Clemens Schuldt, Juanjo Mena, Paul Daniel, Ari Rasilainen, Rossen Milanov, Pablo González, Jaime Martín or Josep Pons, among many others, have conducted their works with numerous orchestras.


He has been the recipient of various awards, including that of the SGAE (Madrid, 1992), of Gaudeamus (Amsterdam, 1995), the Valentino Bucchi Award (Rome, 1997), the Reina Sofía Award (Barcelona, 1999), The Millennium Chamber Players (Chicago, 2008), the National Music Award 2012 and the AEOS-BBVA Foundation Award 2015.


Composer in Residence:
Joven Orquesta Nacional de España. 1998-99 Season
Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias (OSPA), 2016/2017 Season
Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical (CNDM), Spanish Ministry of Culture. 2017/18 Season
Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Zaragoza. 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 Seasons
Since 2002, all of his compositions have been published by Editorial Tritó in Barcelona.
Many of his works have been recorded for the Naxos, Kairos, IBS Classical and Tritó labels.

Works

Jesús Torres

For Chamber ensembles

Title
String trioString Trio
El olvidoMixed Duet
Woodwinds quartetWoodwind Quartet
EpisodiosMixed Quintet
Masques2 Pianos - 4 hands
Soneto del amor oscuroMixed Quartet
Sonata for flute and pianoSoloist and Piano
DoubleMixed Ensemble (6 or more instruments)
PoéticaString Trio
Sonata a trePercussion Ensemble
Hijo mío (bariton)Soloist and Piano
ArgosPercussion Ensemble
Double IISmall Ensembles
String QuartetString Quartet
TenebraeSaxophone Quartet
SubtiliorSaxophone Quartet
ConstelacionesGuitar Quartet
EncuentrosSaxophone Quartet
TrioPiano trio
Dúo II for bass clarinet and marimbaMixed Duet
Hijo mío (tenor)Soloist and Piano
Duet II for sax and marimbaMixed Duet
Itzal II fors two ccordionsMixed Duet
Nocturno, para flauta y guitarraMixed Duet
Fulgor, for clarinet, violin and pianoMixed Trio
Sappho, for flute, cello and pianoMixed Trio
Malagueña ausentePiano trio
Altera bestiaSmall Ensembles
Cuarteto con pianoPiano Quartet
Quartet with saxophoneString Quartet
AccentusSoloist and Piano
DanaePercussion Ensemble
CobraMixed Duet
Duo for Oboe and HarpMixed Duet
Canto. In memoriam Francisco Guerrero.String Duet
Fantasía para clarinete y pianoSoloist and Piano
Fantasía para viola y pianoSoloist and Piano
Unidad en ellaMixed Ensemble (6 or more instruments)
Variations for cello and pianoMixed Duet
ProteusPercussion Ensemble
Winternacht, for two violinsString Duet
DecemPiano trio
Cuentos de Andersen (Andersen’s Tales)Piano Quartet
Noche oscuraSoloist and Piano
NíniveMixed Duet
El misterio del aguaMixed Trio
Manantial de luzMixed Ensemble (6 or more instruments)
Quinteto con clarineteString Quartet
Quartet with oboeString Trio
AccantoPercussion Ensemble
AquelarreMixed Ensemble (6 or more instruments)
SplendensMixed Trio
Nocturno, for violin and guitarMixed Duet

For Orchestra

Title
Concert for piano and orchestraFull Orchestra
Concert for accordion and orchestraFull Orchestra
Evocación de Miguel Hernández for soprano, choir and orchestraFull Orchestra
ApocalipsisOrchestra
Concerto for percussion and orchestraOrchestra
Clarinet concertFull Orchestra
Tres pinturas velazqueñasFull Orchestra
Transfiguración. Double concert for cello, accordion and string orchestraString Orchestra
Cinco momentos de MedeaFull Orchestra
TránsitoFull Orchestra
CrepuscularFull Orchestra
Libro de los secretosFull Orchestra
Partita for 15 instrumentsChamber Orchestra
La tumba de AntígonaFull Orchestra
La máscara de la Muerte RojaFull Orchestra
DiferenciasChamber Orchestra
MovimientoFull Orchestra
SinfoníaFull Orchestra
III Moviment of the Symphony Extático, for string orchestraString Orchestra
FaustoFull Orchestra
SonetosFull Orchestra

Solo Instrument

Title
FugacePiano
TientoMarimba
ÉpodoTenor Saxophone
El lamentoViolin
Laberinto de silenciosPiano
Paseo de los tristesPiano
Semejante a la nochePiano Solo
Cadencias, for acordeonAccordion
Dos canciones del marChoir
ÁnimaAlto Recorder
Ofrenda, for bass clarinetBass Clarinet
ItzalAccordion
Preludes I-IVPiano Solo
CadenzaPiano Solo
La melancolíaPiano Solo
AusenciasGuitar
MementoPiano Solo
PresenciasPiano Solo
TroposBass Clarinet
GlosaCello
ChaconneViolin
Songs for EnriqueChoir
WasserfallPiano Solo
... i l’infant dormPiano Solo
Piezas místicasViola
Piezas íntimasPiano Solo
Umbrales de sombraGuitar
Piano Solo
InterioresGuitar

Others

Title
Folías de España
La catedral de cristal
Llama de amor viva
Virtual
Silentium Amoris oboe and piano version
Canciones de Aleixandre
Idea for soprano and mezzosoprano
PENTESILEA (general)
Cuaderno místico
FINAL (Reduction)
Conciert for violin and orchestra (Reduction)
Antinous
Concert for accordion (Reduction)
Sonetos (Reduction)
Parafrasis
Aleixandre-Coros
Tránsito (Reduction)
FINAL, For female voice and orchestra
Altera bestia (Reduction)
Cinco momentos de Medea (Reducción)
Silentium Amoris saxophone and piano version
Concierto para Clave y Orquesta
Introspección
Spes
Concerto for violín and orchestra
Ruinas de Belchite
Guitar set
Sortilegio

Latest News

Jesús Torres
Jesús Torres, Luis Cernuda and chamber music

Jesús Torres, Luis Cernuda and chamber music

The National Orchestra premieres the trio "Elegía española" , an expressive anb evocative work. 

Read more
Première of the Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra by Jesús Torres

Première of the Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra by Jesús Torres

The Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Zaragoza, directed by Juan Luis Martínez, premiered the piece by Jesús Torres.

Read more
Premiere of the opera Tránsito, by Jesús Torres

Premiere of the opera Tránsito, by Jesús Torres

Tránsito, the chamber opera by Jesús Torres based on Max Aub's work of the same name, premiered in a series of performances that took place between May 29 and June 5 in Madrid.

Read more