Aurelio Viribay - Luna clara (2021)

Odradek Records is delighted to present 'Luna clara': the complete art songs of 20th-century Spanish composer Jess Garca Leoz in sumptuous, intimate performances by soprano Mar Morn and pianist Aurelio Viribay.

Jess Garca Leoz is perhaps best known for his film music and for his 'Trptico de canciones', three songs featured on this release and justly famous for their folk-like beauty. Yet there are many other riches here to be discovered, finding passionate advocates in the Spanish artists Mar Morn and Aurelio Viribay. The varied stylistic range of Garca Leoz's creations in this field takes us from popular culture to translucent and sophisticated textures approaching Ravel's soundworld, moving through some of the most important stylistic currents of the first half of the 20th century including neoclassicism, impressionism and expressionism. Garca Leoz's endless inspiration has produced songs so personal that they are different according to the poetic texts from which they are drawn, adapting himself in chameleon-like manner to the styles of the poets he sets.

'Luna clara' takes its name from the first of Garca Leoz's 'Cinco canciones': this was the first song that these two musicians ever worked on together, and also the title of one of their earliest recitals. Soprano Mar Morn has graced the stages of many of the major opera houses of the world, with notable roles including Mozart's Queen of the Night and memorable performances at venues including Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Msica, Juan March Foundation and the Teatro Real, where she made her debut, and the Festival Castell de Peralada in Barcelona. Mar Morn has recently joined the International Opera Academy in Ghent for its programme, Opera Studio. Aurelio Viribay studied in his native Spain and in Vienna, becoming a specialist in the history and performance of Spanish Art Song, a subject he teaches as Professor at the Escuela Superior de Canto in Madrid.