La Ritirata

LA RITIRATA Founded by Josetxu Obregón, the ensemble specialises in the interpretation of early music and the rediscovery of works from the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic periods. Inspired by composer Luigi Boccherini, the group has performed at prestigious venues and international festivals in 23 countries on four continents. The recipient of an INAEM grant since 2011, La Ritirata has released numerous recordings that have met with great acclaim: ‘Melómano de Oro’, ‘Supersonic Pizzicato’ and ‘4 étoiles’ in Classica. In 2018, the ensemble celebrated its 10 years of history with the release of ‘Neapolitan Concertos’ and several concerts in Spain and Europe that were picked up by Spanish broadcasters TVE and RNE. Awarded for its efforts in early music, the group has been chosen for a Cultural Award of the Autonomous Community of Madrid (2013) and five GEMA awards, including Best Group in the Classicism category (2015) and the Audience Award (2019). La Ritirata celebrated its 15^th year of existence in 2023 with programmes such as ‘CelloEvolution’ and ‘Il Giardino di Rose’ as well as international concerts. The ensemble's fifteenth CD, ‘Fandango: Boccherini String Quintets’, was released in 2024, garnering a nomination in the ICMA Awards. Still a leading source of dissemination of early music, La Ritirata combines artistic excellence and research with its high-profile engagements at home and abroad. Josetxu Obregón, cellist, art director and founder of La Ritirata, has worked as a teacher at the Royal Higher Conservatory of Madrid and has been awarded on over 13 occasions at competitions held in Spain and abroad. Born in Bilbao, he completed his higher and postgraduate studies in cello and chamber music and went on to receive the highest marks in Germany and the Netherlands, where he studied Baroque cello at Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, in contact with Anner Bylsma. He has given numerous concerts in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and over eighteen European countries, in Japan, China, the United States, Israel, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and others. He has been a member of some of the most outstanding ensembles in Europe, such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, among others, and has earned a place in the world of historical interpretation as the solo cellist of l’Arpeggiata, the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), Arte dei Suonatori, Al Ayre Español, etc. and has been part of Le Concert des Nations, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Inglaterra), sharing the stage with Jordi Savall, Christina Pluhar, Fabio Bonizzoni, Enrico Onofri, Philippe Jaroussky, Lars Ulrich Mortensen and Nuria Rial, among others. In addition to his endeavours in early music, he has collaborated with Krzysztof Penderecki, Plácido Domingo, Jesús López Cobos and others. His concert appearances include Carnegie Hall in New York, Tokyo Opera City and Yokohama Minato-Mirai in Japan, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, l’Auditori Barcelona, CNART Mexico, among other prestigious venues. At present, Josetxu plays several instruments, including an original Sebastian Klotz built in 1740.