News
April2013
La Voz de Galicia
Laura Alonso recommends "Para Alicia, inspiración española"
This is an album not to be missed: Para Alicia. Inspiración española by Basque pianist Judith Jáuregui, dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha. And who better to do it than this impressive, highly talented pianist. I found it surprising that she remembered a pianist such as De Larrocha, since in Spain we are not much given to honouring our artists, and even less so if they are no longer alive. The album is completely Spanish, something not particularly in fashion either, and contains magnificent works by Granados, Falla and Albéniz, performed with excellent technique and sound judgement. We often forget that this type of music exists, specially in communities like Galicia. Radio programmers don't generally include Spanish music, though it is ranked among the best and boasts some of the most well-known composers in the world.
Judith Jáuregui ingeniously selected the programme for the album, which she edited herself! And that's why I sing her praises here, for her consistency and her courage. I wish we had many more artists like her in Spain.
April2013
Diario de Sevilla
"Young people have to take risks", by Pablo J. Vayón
Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastián, 1985) is one of the most outstanding and courageous pianists of her generation. Her second album, which she dedicates to the great Alicia de Larrocha (1923-2009), also serves to launch her own record label, BerliMusic.
April2013
Cultura Re-Suena Blog
Judith Jáuregui: Spanish Inspiration
In a short space of time, Judith Jáuregui (1985), from San Sebastián, has become the Spanish pianist of the moment. After studying at the San Sebastián Conservatory with Cristina Navajas, the Conservatory of Music in Salamanca with Claudio Martínez-Mehner and the Richard Strauss Konservatorium in Munich with Vadim Suchanov, she began to break into the main national classical music festivals.
When, in February 2009, she participated in the Scherzo Foundation's Ciclo de Jóvenes Intérpretes (sharing the line-up with Yuja Wang and Alice Sara Ott) she already knew what it was like to play at the Peralada Festival, the Granada Festival, at Musika-Música (La Folle Journée) in Bilbao and the San Sebastián Festival. In 2011, her career gained new momentum after recording her album dedicated to Schumann, which won the Best Classical Album award at the UFI Awards. She then debuted with the Basque National Orchestra, the Spanish National Orchestra and at the European Piano Festival in Caracas with the fantastic Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela (May 2012).
She is now presentig her new album, on which she performs works by Granados, Falla and Albéniz. She produced it with her own record label, BerliMusic, thus avoiding the pressures of major labels. Berli doesn't have the commercial support of big labels such as Universal or Sony behind it, but it does have Diverdi, distributor of many independent labels in Spain. This album is dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha, the grand dame of Spanish pianism, who is undoubtely one of her biggest referents. This type of tribute may have a commercial whiff to it, but that's the least important thing, because the album contains over sixty minutes of music in which Judith truly "lays herself bare" to the public. I mean, even if this album wasn't dedicated to Alicia it would still have exactly the same musical value. And if this sells more records, well great: great for her, great for independent labels and great also for Spanish music.
The Valses poéticos by Granados, Cuatro piezas españolas by Falla, and Suite española Op. 47 by Albéniz. Good heavens, it looks like a pretty lightweight repertoire! Are these works not the little sisters of the Goyescas, the Fantasía Bética and the Iberia Suite? They are largely, but Judith is still opening new ground, she's very young, she has time. The important thing is that the music is very good and the interpretations sunny, bright, and warm.
April2013
Telva Magazine
"Leisure-Music" section, by Isabel Ribada
At 27, Judith Jáuregui is considered the most brilliant pianist of her generation. When she was four she started to play the violin, and gave her first solo recital aged 11. She later studied in Munich with the Russian teacher Suchanov. "I always knew I wanted to be a pianist, but I hate the words virtuoso and child prodigy". After debuting with the Spanish National Orchestra and the prestigious Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Venezuela, she hast just released Para Alicia, inspiración española. "It's a tribute album to Alicia de Larrocha. I grew up admiring her. On it I perform Granados' Valses poéticos, Falla's Cuatro piezas españolas, and Albéniz' Suite española".
April2013
ABC
"I return to La Concha beach when I need inspiration", by Pilar Quijada
At five tears of age she started to play the piano; when she was eight she got up on stage for the first time, and gave her first recital at the age of 11. By that time she was "naturally hooked on the stage". Now, recently turned 28, Judith Jáuregui from San Sebastián has a hugely promising career ahead of her. "I'm not one of those pianists who sits in front of the piano for eight hours; I need to get out and breathe some fresh air". And these breaks generally involve nature. "There are always some notes flying around in your head, that's why I need to breathe, close my eyes and just let myself drift, to realise that I am more than someone who sits in front of a keyboard, and to see myself within the perspective of nature, which makes you feel part of the world". Since living in Madrid, her places of refuge are the city's parks, like "El Capricho", her favourite, with its romantic nature in which she sees herself reflected, she explains. And she has a point, since this space dating back to 1874 is possibly one of the most beautiful spots in the capital, though many people are unaware of it. On other occasions Judith explores the city's busiest park, El Retiro.
She says that an hour spent outdoors gives her "much more than the same time spent in front of the piano, because what you have worked on develops internally, is processed somehow, and because music is life, it's communication, and so you have to have a life away from the piano". When she goes on longer outings she heads to Rascafría in the mountain ranges outside Madrid. There she likes to follow the path from the El Paular monastery which clims up to the Purgatorio waterfall at 1,500 metres, "a wonderful walk when you need some peace and quiet. Its icy water reminds me a little of my own". And by "my own" she means the landscapes of San Sebastián and La Concha beach in particular, "...my place, where I grew up and spent many great hours. It's my beach, my sea, what I miss the most when I'm in Madrid, and what I always return to when I need inspiration and relax". She tells us that contact with this place that is so emblematic for her, and with other natural areas attached to her childhood, is "the best way to disconnect for a while and recharge your batteries".
April2013
La Razón
"Young people have to take risks", by Jesús Amilibia
Occupation: pianist. Born: 1985, in San Sebastián. Why she is here: to present her album "Para Alicia, inspiración española" (BerliMusic).
April2013
AR Magazine
"Piano is my life", by Pilar Manzanares
She is one of our pianists with the greatest international reach and, now, with the release of her new album Para Alicia, she debuts her own record label, BerliMusic. All this at the tender age of 27.
April2013
Aforo Libre Blog
Judith Jáuregui's Tribute to Alicia de Larrocha, by Zahira Rodríguez
Last Thursday we attended one of those concerts that combine the charm of the venue itself and that of the artist. The Sala María Cristina has that special aura capable of converting a musician and a piano on a stage into a unique event. And that was the case with Judith Jáuregui.
Judith Jáuregui, a native of San Sebastian, exuded elegance and freshness. She appeared on stage with a big smile and captivated us with her performance. We really wanted to listen to her live, because her curriculum and the reviews she receives after every concert have transformed her into a frontline figure. A valued pianist in Spain and abroad, she is also known for her numerous recordings for the media, and for winning the award of Best Classical Album in the Independent Music Awards.
Excellent technique from the San Sebastian pianist, with sensational phrasing of Granados' Valses poéticos, beautiful sound delivered in both the fortes and the pianos and a display of great pedal control, achieving good sound effects in the sudden changes in musical character. Highly accomplished impressionist sonority of de Falla's Montañesa, thanks to a notable differentiation of sound levels -evoking rather than describing- as the nature of the work requires. Concluding this group of Piezas españolas were the incisive and rhythmic attacks in the Andaluza, bringing out the essence to be conveyed and delivering a performance that was untarnished by vulgarity.
The whole Suite española deserves special mention as, despite the different character of each of the pieces, the pianist knew how to lend them coherence, conveying the feeling of musical unity. The Asturias was magnificent. Piano interpretation of this piece created for guitar presents particular technical difficulties, such as leaps and crossed hands. However, Judith managed to handle them all successfully and without neglecting the musical aspect.
March2013
El Cultural
Judith Jáuregui in the mirror, by Rafa Banús
Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastián, 1985) is savouring a particularly sweet moment, reaping the reward of many years of effort, study and tenacity. After continued success in the concert halls, the young pianist has now released an album in homage to Alicia de Larrocha on the 90th anniversary of her birth. She started the year off with a concert at the Zaragoza Auditorium, accompanied by José Luis Temes and the JONDE (National Youth Orchestra of Spain), followed later by a recital at the Oviedo Philharmonic Society, where she performed a duet with cellist Adolfo Gutiérrez. This all served as a preamble to the launch of her own record label, BerliMusic. The name comes from a play on the letters of "libre" (maning "free"): "That's how I feel with music, in life, and on this journey I've now embarked upon", says the artist. "With this project I will be free to create and make my own decisions about future recordings".
As a follow up to her beautiful album dedicated to Schumann, she couldn't have chosen a better collection to launch her new label than Para Alicia, inspiración española. For Jáuregui, de Larrocha is "an inspiration and a reference". So she has opted for three scores that were triumphantly played around the world by the great pianist from Barcelona: the Valses poéticos by Granados, the Cuatro piezas españolas by Falla and the Suite española by Albéniz. Just like her illustrious predecessor, Jáuregui has that extraordinary ability to capture the essence and the popular context of these musical pieces without ever lapsing into facile display or the slightest hint of vulgarity. However, and logically so, she plays them with her distinct personality and a style now becoming unmistakable, in a unique blend of Basque restraint and Mediterranean passion.
March2013
ABC
"Musicians must be united now more than ever before", by Susana Gaviña
Judith Jáuregui gets a special twinkle in her eyes wjen she holds her second album "Para Alicia, inspiración española" in her hands. "It's born! What a birth...! I've gone through all the different stages", the Basque pianist says, laughing.
And she has plenty of reasons to feel proud. First of all, it's a tribute to another pianist, the great Alicia de Larrocha, who would have celebrated her 90th birthday this year. "It was an ideal time to thank her, with all my respect and with the permission of her daughter, for everything she has done. She opened the world up to the next generation of Spanish musicians, and brought our music to the best auditoriums".
Another reason for her enthusiasm is that with this recording the Basque performer, who will be 28 in two weeks time, launches her own record label: BerliMusic. The word is an anagram of "libre" (meaning "free"), which is how Jáuregui says she feels when she sits in front of her instrument: "It's my time. A time when I can be myself, and the piano, though it may be my great compacion, doesn't judge me; it accepts me as I am. I also consider myself to be a very free person and having the record label will allow me to control my own career".
March2013
Diverdi Magazine
Fresh air and lots of light, by Arturo Reverter
She certainly doesn't lack courage, Judith Jáuregui, the active and enterprising young Basque pianist who is at the beginning of what promises to be a great career. After an album dedicated to short Schumann pieces, which I wrote favourably about in these pages, she now fearlessly launches onto the market this new CD dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha, as indicated by the title of the album (Para Alicia, inspiración española). And, logically, she has chosen a number of highly representative works from our pianistic landscape that were once popular with the Catalan artist and other Spanish colleagues.
We like Jáuregui because she always takes things straight on, without avoiding the difficulties, without meandering, seeking subterfuges or taking refuge in dark pianism. Quite the opposite in fact; she gives us radiant and luminous interpretations, like most of the music she has chosen. The pianist displays a series of qualities that help us complete the image we have of her through Schumann. Namely, a magnificent and pure sense of rhythm. She knows how to mark up, to centre the agogic character of each piece right from the beginning.
March2013
El Mundo
Digital encounter. Live Q&A session with Judith Jáuregui
"Para Alicia, inspiración española" was born of a deep admiration for one of her most important references: Alicia de Larrocha. This is a special tribute to the pianist, with music by Granados, Falla, and Albéniz. Considered one of the most promising Spanish pianists of her generation, Judith Jáuregui will be performing her new album over the coming days in Barcelona, Málaga and San Sebastián. Today, in a live session, she answers questions posed by users online.
March2013
El País Semanal
A new generation of classical musicians, by Jesús Ruiz Mantilla
They are known as the generation of '85; Spanish soloists, brilliant musicians with a great future ahead of them. This magnificent crop of musicians are confidently tackling the crisis with their respective instruments and achieving international success.
March2013
LA SER
Interview for the programme "Hoy por hoy", with Gemma Nierga and Pepa Bueno
"Classical music is made to be felt. You have to close your eyes and not think about social classes". In our "Cuidarnos" section, with María Talavera and Javier Cansado who join us today, we going to relax with a little music. So we've invited the pianist Judith Jauregui along to perform a live rendition of Granados' Valses Poéticos for us.
March2013
El Imparcial
"It's time for young people to make a stand", by Alicia Huerta
"Berli viene de libre" (Berli comes from the Spanish word for "free"), Judith Jáuregui assuredly tells El Imparcial when asked why she created her own record label. She adds, even more emphatically, "The main reason is because you're free to decide when and how. And it means being behind the whole process, which is also interesting". Judith also says she's an inquisitive person who likes to learn about everything: "I'm a 27 year old girl who lives in this world and so, although my work is at the piano, I also like to know what goes on behind the scenes. I think that for all of us involved in art and culture it's important to know how it works. And now, more than ever, is the time for young people to tackle this terrible situation we're confronted with today and to take the bull by the horns, to stop talking about what we're going to do, and just do it". The young pianist has certainly taken the bull by the horns and has a very firm grip. But of course, it hasn't been a total leap into the unknown.
March2013
Radio Nacional de España
Judith Jáuregui: "Para Alicia" - interview for the programme "Los clásicos de Radio Nacional", by Mikaela Vergara and Carlos Santos
Live interview with the young pianist Judith Jáuregui who pays tribute to the great dame of Spanish piano, Alicia de Larrocha, with works by Albéniz, Falla and Granados. We'll be hearing Aragonesa, by Manuel de Falla; Asturias by Isaac Albéniz, and a selection of the Valses Poéticos by Enrique Granados.
March2013
ABC Cultural
Review of the album "Para Alicia", by A.G. Lapuente
Pianist Judith Jáuregui confronts market uncertainty by creating her own record label, BerliMusic, a name which she says is derived from a play on the letters of the word "libre" (meaning "free"), which ultimately reflects her own nature. Hence her decision to create her own company, which entails an element of risk and is reliant on a weapon as fragile as the consolidation of the success of one who represents modern music today. It is true though that Jáuregui takes this leap with a safety net in place. She has sought the endorsement of a name which is synonymous with the history of Spanish pianism: Alicia de Larrocha, the "inspiration" for this album and the reason for the pieces chosen (Granados, Falla, Albéniz). However, the important thing is to remain faithful to the legacy while avoiding the imitation, and Jáuregui does this with a transparent, clear and uninhibited style, understood as certain nonchalance, free of dogmatism. Modernity from style, and a tribute that avoids nostalgia.
February2013
Diverdi Magazine
Judith Jáuregui, new record label and tribute
The enterprising pianist Judith Jáuregui has just joined the list of artists who have embarked upon the adventure of creating their own record label, with BerliMusic (an anagram of the Spanish word "libre", meaning "free"). And she's done it in style, opening her catalogue with a tribute to Alicia de Larrocha to mark the 90th anniversary of the pianist's birth. In an interview in this magazine in March 2012 she announced her intention to record a repertoire of Spanish composers; and she couldn't have chosen a better occasion than this to fulfil her dream, by paying tribute to the much-missed Catalan pianist with a programme that includes the three big names in Spanish nationalist music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the eight popular pieces that comprise Albéniz' Suite española, the beautiful Valses Poéticos by Granados, and the Cuatro piezas españolas by Falla which were premiered by Viñes in Paris in 1909. All the various elements have been handled with great care and detail -documentation, design, iconography, and digipack presentation-qualifying the album as a cultural object, enhanced by the moving note of the letter Judith addresses to Alicia on the cover of the booklet. Two great artist who, with six decades between them, are united in their love for great Spanish and international music. The record label, open to incorporating other artists, will be distributed by Diverdi and this first recording will be available in stores from the end of February.
February2013
Televisión Española
Interview for "Programa de mano"
In the studio, Clara Sanchís is interviewing the San Sebastian pianist Judith Jáuregui, one of the most promising pianists of her generation.
Endowed with great technical skill and expressive force, in recent years she has become a regular feature on the main stages, including the National Auditorium of Madrid, the Auditorium of Barcelona and the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, and has performed at the prestigious festivals such as Quincena Musical in San Sebastián, the Peralada Festival and the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance. She was also invited to perform as a soloist with orchestras including the Basque National Orchestra, the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra and the Spanish National Orchestra.
Judith Jáuregui releases her latest album "Para Alicia" (For Alicia), this month, a tribute to the great pianist Alicia de Larrocha. In our studio she plays the theme Granada, from Isaac Albéniz' Suite española.
February2013
El Correo
Portraits of a generation, by Julia Martínez
As a baby, Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastián, 1985) slept to the sounds of her older sister Ainhoa playing the piano. At five years of age she herself started to play, and when she was 11 she gave her first solo concert. She lives from and for music. She dreamed of it and now she has achieved it. "Music has given me so much...", she says. She is currently promoting her second album. She faces the difficult times with a smile and emphasises that to achieve something you have to fight for it.
January2013
Codalario Magazine
Review of the concert in Zaragoza with JONDE and the Amici Musicae Choir: in praise of youth, by Alejandro Martínez
Beethoven's Choral Fantasy for piano, choir, orchestra and soloists is undoubtedly a brilliant work. Widely felt to be a precedent to the choral movement of Symphony No. 9 by the genius from Bonn, it possesses a tone, balance and serenity which are the hallmarks of great and inspired music.
Judith Jáuregui’s piano work in this Fantasy is splendid, demonstrating a technical security that has become emotional vocation. Communicative, elegant, and serene. She makes the difficult seem easy, like all great performers do. The Fantasy sounded authentic and outstanding in the hands of JONDE (Spanish National Youth Orchestra) and Judith Jáuregui’s piano. As an encore, the San Sebastian pianist gave a poetic and dreamy interpretation of Granada, by Albéniz.
January2013
El Periódico de Aragón
"Classical is music that is felt more than it is understood", by Daniel Montserrat
Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985) is one of the greatest pianists of her generation. Tonight and tomorrow she plays with JONDE and the Amici Musicae Choir, with whom she will perform Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy in the Mozart hall, where she gave this interview.
November2012
La información
A night with Falla at the National Auditorium, by Ylenia Álvarez
Judith Jáuregui proposed over a year ago to put jeans on classical music. Now it seems that the young San Sebastian pianist proposes that we listen to the great Spanish composers as much as we do Bach, Beethoven, Mahler and Tchaikovsky. So, a few months after her debut with the National Orchestra of Spain, Jáuregui returns to the National Auditorium of Music in Madrid accompanied by the Santa Cecilia Orchestra and the maestro Héctor Guzmán to perform Nights in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla. The programme, a monograph by Falla, will be rounded off with La vida breve (The Short Life) and El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat).
November2012
El País
The girl who tamed the piano, by Miguel Pérez
Her appearance could fool you. Judith Jáuregui is not yet thirty, her face exudes sweetness and her blond hair makes her look a few years younger. But don’t be misled, when she sits down at the piano she doesn’t allow herself to be controlled by it. In front of the keyboard, Jáuregui tames the melodies and handles the leaps from octave to octave with ease. She is one of our promising young pianists and is playing next Thursday at the National Auditorium. The programme is one that she has just given in a concert with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra: Nights in the Gardens of Spain, by the maestro Falla. Accompanying her will be the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, who will complete this monographic concert with La vida breve (The Short Life) and El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat).
Come and see her play live, get caught up in the magic of this woman. Don’t lose sight of her: we tend to undervalue certain Spanish artists because of their youth and let them be discovered by foreign experts. But Jáuregui doesn’t need to be discovered: her talent at the piano speaks for itself.
November2012
On Madrid
Judith Jáuregui at the National Auditorium
Jáuregui was a child prodigy. She performed her first recital at the age of 11 and soon began to win awards and prizes everywhere. She’s not yet 30, but her interventions both as a soloist and with an orchestra show that the ‘young prodigy’ syndrome is well behind her. She’s now a reality, which she demonstrates superbly in her recording for the Columna Música label, which includes works from Schumann. Now she’s performing Falla’s most iconic piece for piano and orchestra, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, perhaps the Cadiz maestro’s most magical work. Accompanying her from the podium is another good signing by Excelentia, the Mexican director Héctor Guzmán, who displays a splendid, consolidated curriculum which establishes him as a renowned organist.
September2012
Diario ABC
Music with Excellence
Michael Jurowski, George Pehlivanian, Renaud Capuçon, Judith Jáuregui and Jacob Koranyi, highlights of the new concert season of the Orquesta Santa Cecilia in the Auditorio Nacional.
September2012
Spanish National Radio
Judith Jáuregui, the princess of the piano in jeans, by Mikaela Vergara and Carlos Santos
Interview and live performance for "Los Clásicos de RNE" of the young basque pianist Judith Jáuregui, who advocates empathy, humility and freshness in her interpretation of Granada by Albéniz and one of the Scènes d'enfants by Mompou.
September2012
Blog Weaddit
"I am my own online Community", by Bidane Galicia
Aged 27, she has a promising career in the music world and -it would seem- in Social Media too, given that she herself manages the online platforms of her own brand. Judith Jáuregui has been playing her piano for years in order to carry her message across the world. She wants to put an end to the stereotype that classical music is elitist when in reality "it is composed for everyone", because music is "art and culture, and that is not for just a few".
August2012
Diverdi Magazine
Judith Jáuregui, unstoppable
Following her resounding success at the European Piano Festival in Caracas, where she witnessed a full house at her debut with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra directed by Diego Matheuz, pianist Judith Jáuregui heads into a summer packed full of performances.
July2012
Doce Notas Magazine
Judith Jáuregui, joy at the piano, by Guadalupe Caballero
Jáuregui is gradually forging out one of the most interesting careers among her generation, one with great future promise. Charismatic and enthusiastic, she surprised us with her Schumann album El arte de lo pequeño (The Art of Small Things) and in recent years has played in the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao, the Auditorium of Barcelona, and the Miguel Delibes Auditorium in Valladolid, among others. She also recently debuted with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in Caracas and is currently preparing an album dedicated to Alicia de Larrocha.
May2012
El Correo
Judith Jáuregui, ambassador for Spanish Music in Caracas, by César Coca
Falla lived and died in Argentina, but will be brought back to life in Caracas; or at least one of his most important works will be; Noches en los Jardines de España, with a version from San Sebastian pianist Judith Jáuregui, who has been selected to participate in the European Piano Festival being held in the Venezuelan capital from 7 to 13 May.
Jáuregui, who has just turned 27, is the youngest of the best generation of pianists to emerge in this country throughout its history. A generation that has already enjoyed success outside Spain, and which has recorded albums that have garnered excellent reviews –and picked up many awards-, and destined to make Spanish culture shine for decades to come.
May2012
Doce Notas Magazine
Judith Jáuregui plays with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra
Judith Jáuregui was chosen to represent Spain and perform in the European Piano Festival in Caracas, the result of cooperation between Spain and Venezuela for the dissemination of Spanish culture in 2012.
Judith will offer three performances, the highlight of which will be a concert by the prestigious Simón Bolívar Orchestra, interpreting Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain) by Falla, under the baton of Diego Matheuz.
March2012
Diverdi Magazine
Question time with Judith Jáuregui, by David Rodríguez Cerdán
Judith Jáuregui, one of our most recognised young pianists, is starting to see her schedule fill up: on 4 March at the Euskalduna Palace in Bilbao she offers a performance of The Seasons by Tchaikovsky, as part of the Musika-Música Festival. Shortly after, on 30 March, she debuts with the ONE ((Spanish National Orchestra) with a Rodríguez Albert monographic concert directed by Maestro Brotons. In between these two dates she’ll be performing a Tribute to Antonio Machado, together with actor José Sacristán, in Barcelona (Sagarra Theatre, 16 March), San Sebastian (Kursaal Auditorium, 24 March), and later on in Segovia (Music Festival, 22 July).
March2012
EITB Radio
Interview for the "Más que palabras" programme, by Almudena Cacho
Almudena Cacho and Arantxa Urretabizkaia interview Judith Jáuregui in person, the 26-year-old pianist from San Sebastian who continues to receive acclaim from critics and audiences alike.
February2012
El Correo
The russian school, by Judith Jáuregui
Broad chords in fortissimo, arpeggios, some fiendishly difficult scales... much of Russian music is full of them. Works by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov are considered the most virtuous and the most difficult of piano literature. Unreachable, unplayable, and at times requiring superhuman feats. And they’re made for larger people with large hands that can effortlessly cover ten notes between the little finger and the thumb, which is musically known as “a tenth". Well, there’s a well-known name that demystifies this image: Alicia de Larrocha. Quite little, and with small hands, she went onto the stage, took command of the piano and made it shine like very few have managed to do. There are other similar examples close to home, such as Joaquín Achúcarro and his Rachmaninov-Paganini pieces. So piano technique has nothing to do with one’s physical condition, but rather with knowing how to use one’s own skills to develop a personal sound.
December2011
Scherzo Magazine
Dramatic impressions, by Asier Vallejo
The Basque Symphony Orchestra's third concert of the season gave the opportunity to compare two different aproaches to Mozart's music: one conducted by a veteran violist of undeniable international prestige, the other by a young pianist who has been performing, for some time now in Spain, for the greatest pleasure of the public. Wolfram Christ gave us a version of a strict and sad Mozart of the past, and Judith Jáuregui a version of a fresh and luminous Mozart of the present and the future. Judith emphasised the lyrical sections of Mozart's Concerto No. 20 in D minor, without masking its strongly dramatic impressions. Her poetic musicality, her gentle touch, her deep sensitivity were always there, but she is also a passionate and temperamental artist, and this reminded us of Mozart's duality. A wonderful interpretation.
December2011
Scherzo Magazine
Review of the album "Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño", by Asier Vallejo
A young musician usually has two very different routes for entering the world of album-recording: by way of the grand repertoire or less-known composers and compositions. The San Sebastian pianist, Judith Jáuregui, a familiar figure with readers of this magazine after performing the Scherzo Foundation’s eighth Ciclo de Jóvenes Intérpretes with Yuja Wang and Alice Sara Ott, has been able to choose, and has opted for the first route, with none other than Schumann, a composer with whom she feels a special affinity, and whose music she seems to have completely internalised in these early years of her career. She has amply demonstrated this in the twelve pieces that comprise Papillons, making each one an expressive world in itself while giving unity to the whole around a very suggestive fantasy and a limpid poetic flight that lets the music flow above the contrasts and the subtleties of each miniature. Allegro op. 8 is also bravely defended, with a precise mechanism that appears to give greater importance to clarity and transparency over strength or mere virtuosity. Her Fantasiestücke reveals an artist who is, at the same time, delicate, dreamy, virtuous and temperamental, with a soft Des Abends, an impassioned Aufschwung, a dreamlike Warum?, and an immaculate Traumes Wirren, always over a rich and captivating sound (despite occasional hardness) and a highly flexible phrasing that perfectly suit these youthful pieces. In the Boletín de Diverdi, Arturo Reverter says that "playing Schumann like this at 25 is as surprising as it is beautiful" and that "the pianist must have been born with the divine finger pointing at her", of this there’s no doubt.
November2011
Argia Magazine
The piano Princess, by Montserrat Auzmendi
Judith Jáuregui is one of the best pianists of our times. She has musicality and technique to spare, and what's more, she is a true princess, her main characteristic being her elegance. She possesses elegant musicality and aristocratic bearing, as well as approachability and humilty. As a result, over the past few years she has become one of the stars of classical music.
The protagonist of the third concert for OSE suscribers was Jáuregui, who played Mozart Concerto No. 20 in D minor. She displayed great naturalness. Technically, the work was not particularly complicated, apart from its expression. The risk with a Mozart Concerto is that there is the possibility it might be played note after note, without any emotion. However, this time the pianist knew how to draw out the feeling and essence that lay beneath the score, and gave a serious version. She played Beethoven's Cadences. Marvellous. At the end of the concert she treated the audience to an encore, choosing Liszt's Consolation No.3, which was truly magical.
November2011
El Diario Vasco
Demanding Mozart, by Aitor Álvarez
What an exiting challenge Judith had ahead of her, on her home ground and with her orchestra, to surprise with a piece that was non-too-easy but nevertheless a warhorse in the repertoire of the great performers. She has undoubtedly achieved her wish to convert the piano into another member of the orchestra, through dinamics that come from training and an instrument with a sound its own, more opaque than bright. Judith demonstrated elegance in every movement, passion in the way she tackled every motif, and conveyed sensivity in every gesture. Moreover, her connection with the orchestra was evident.
November2011
El Norte de Castilla
Great bearing, by José María Morate
The demeanor of the San Sebastian pianist, winner of the Frechilla-Zuloaga Piano Competition four years ago, as she approached the piano, led us to expect a musical session that would be soft and delicious at times; especially as her entire programme dealt with the "Fantasy" genre. And the reality confirmed the initial visual impression. She began with Mozart Fantasy in D Minor, KV. 397, a delicate opening, suspending the phrases in the air with great feeling, varying tempi seeking lightness and surprise in her personal version. Following that, we were treated to Brahms 7 Fantasies op. 116, performed as a whole. One after the other, they showed contrast and control, elegant serenity and good taste, with final droplets of passion, musicality, the simulation of steps at different speeds, with the artist's subtle irony linked with tenderness. The final fantasy, describing the fears and doubts that the earlier joyful peace would end in death is what posed the greatest technical difficulties, which were, however, easily resolved.
The second part raised the pianistic level -the musical level was already very high- with Scriabin's Fantasy op. 28, structured in Sonata form, typical of late romanticism in that it anticipates slight atonalities, and intense and varied dynamics. Judith gave meaning and value to Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy in C Major, op. 15, making it the jewel in the programme. She felt totally in her element here, as her fine touch, internalisation, and care and enjoyment of the sound are perfectly suited to this Fantasy, bringing out the themes derived from a single motif, and unifying the four movements through which it runs. The audience responded with roundly enthusiastic applause.
October2011
El País
The blessed 26, by Miguel Pérez
Although they are savouring the sweetness of success, the innocent sense of illusion hasn´t yet vanished from their eyes. Ana María Valderrama, Manuel Blanco, and Judith Jáuregui meet in Madrid this week for an interview that is more like a get-together of friends. Valderrama (Madrid, 1985) is a violinist and has emerged triumphant from the Pablo Sarasate International Violin Competition - "This award had never before been won by a Spanish violinist" -; trumpeter Blanco (Daimiel, Ciudad Real, 1985) has just been awarded first prize from Bavarian Radio, only won by another two trumpeters in history; and the latest piano album from Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985) was recently named Best Classical Album at the Independent Music Awards.
August2011
Mundoclásico
Impressive energy, by Juan Krakenberger
An interesting and demanding programme, aided by the good acoustics in the Crypt Chapel in Cambrils, treated us to an hour and a half of fine music, played with great dedication and mastery. The young Basque pianist Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985) performed some little-known works from the Spanish repertoire and then some 19th-century European music.
August2011
La Vanguardia Magazine
Schumann in jeans, by Juan Luis Álvarez
Hailed as the new sensation in Spanish classical music, Judith Jáuregui, the 26-year-old pianist from San Sebastian, slight in physique but powerful in expression – whether it be opinions or musical notes – her aim is to "put jeans on Schumann or whoever else requires it, as one doesn´t need to understand technique in order to enjoy the music."
July2011
El País
Classical from the under 35, by Lino Portela
She’s blonde, tall, and pretty. On 20 June, when Judith Jáuregui, 26, went up to the stage of the Casa de América wearing jeans at the Independent Music Awards, many could have mistaken her for a pop singer. But Judith was picking up her award for Best Classical Album for her CD Robert Schumman. El arte de lo pequeño. Born in San Sebastian, she has been renting a flat in Chamberí, Madrid, for the past 3 years and often pops out for a few beers in the Malasaña district or around the Plaza de Olavide (also a late night drinking spot) and rehearses daily in the Ritmo & Compás studios, surrounded by long-haired rockers who love to watch her play. "If I could play in jeans, I would be happy", explains one of the most promising artists on the Spanish classical music scene. "Classical music is sometimes ‘overdressed’, which tends to distance it from the audience, as so much formality can be a bit intimidating. You don’t have to understand classical music to be able to appreciate it. It’s all about feeling", she says.
June2011
El Correo
Judith Jáuregui, wins the Independent Music Awards, with "Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño" voted Best Classical Album
The young pianist Judith Jáuregui has won the classical album category of the Independent Music Awards with her CD Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño. On this, her first solo album, she plays a series of the German composer’s miniatures for piano with intensity and a great display of subtleties. And miniature they may be in the duration of the scores, but certainly not in the quality or technical difficulty of their treatment.
Judith is already more than a promising artist of Basque and Spanish classical music. She belongs to a generation of pianists the likes of whom this country has never seen before. Just over a year ago there was a lengthy article about these young artists (among them Javier Perianes, Luis Fernando Pérez, and Iván Martín) who have found success all over the world. None are from Bilbao (Judith is from San Sebastian) but all are linked to the city through their years of participation at the Musika-Música festival. Here we should mention Begoña Salinas, director of the festival organiser, Fundación Bilbao 700, who was one of the first to spot Judith’s talent. Her award-winning album was also among the best albums of the year selected by the Territorios Sevilla festival last December.
June2011
TVE - Spanish Television
Interview for the TV Show "Programa de mano"
Programa de mano, TVE, interviewed pianist Judith Jáuregui, one of the great talents of her generation. Acclaimed by the critics, she has performed on the main stages in Spain and at many prestigious festivals (Quincena Musical in San Sebastian, the Perelada Festival, the Granada Festival, and the Roque d'Antheron Festival in France.
June2011
Scherzo Magazine
A tribute to German music, by Jose Antonio Cantón
The 23rd Úbeda International Music and Dance Festival. As regards recitals and small groups, the young San Sebastian pianist, Judith Jáuregui, gave a superb performance of a monographic programme of Schumann, which highlighted her delicate sound and great maturity in understanding the ever-complicated style of this composer.
May2011
Ibera Excelence Magazine
Without music there's no life, by Judith Jáuregui
Great thinkers have praised it. Nietzsche declared: "Without music, life would be an error". But what is music? According the Spanish Royal Academy it is "the art of combining the sounds of the human voice or of instruments, or of both at the same time, to delight and affect feelings, either sad or happy". As someone dedicated to this art, I feel that music is one of the great weapons that human beings have created to communicate: to express feelings that cannot be expresed through wods and to experience a living or imaginated reality where we feel protected. Music makes us dance, laugh, cry; it moves and sometimes even makes us catch our breath. Some people claim it has healing properties and reduces anxiety and stress. There are even people who recommend that it be listened to during pregnancy because it can stimulate the baby.
Music is my life. It accompanies me always and never leaves me, through the music I bear my soul to the public and it brings me so many moments of hapiness. I am a classical pianist and I spend the day immersed in what's called "cultured music", a concept I fearcely dispute. At the age of 26, I try to take music out of an elitist straitjacket. To feel, it's not necessary to understand. And music - whether it's classical, rock, pop, house or any other style- has that divine power of uniting all human beings, of overcoming barriers, races, religion, or social classes in a single language: emotion. It makes us feel alive. That's why it's so necessary in our lives. May music be with us always!
April2011
Diario de Jerez
A clear and energetic recital from the young pianist Judith Jáuregui at the Villamarta
With water as the common theme, this Thursday the Villamarta theatre presents the young and promising Basque pianist: Judith Jáuregui. Last year she broke onto the Spanish music scene with her delicate and romantic album "El arte de lo pequeño" (The art of small things), dedicated to Robert Shumann, and received a warm welcome from audiences and critics alike at festivals and concerts in which she has played.
March2011
Diario de Sevilla
Small but great art, by Pablo J. Vayón
Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985) is emerging as one of the most promising figures in Spanish piano music. In her first album, the pianist brings us closer to the world of the miniaturist Schumann, composer of the small works that make up Papillons op. 2 and Fantasiestücke op. 12, rounded off with the virtuosic Allegro op. 8. Jáuregui shows absolute control over the technical difficulties of the works, which she performs with kaleidoscopic attention to the details which distinguish them, rendering clean, transparent, and poetic versions.
March2011
El Cultural
Review of the album "Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño", by Rafael Banús
The 25-year-old San Sebastian pianist could not have had a more successful album debut. The world of Schumann is particularly difficult to decipher, even more so in these little pieces shrouded in mystery that make up Fantasiestücke opus 12, which she handles with an irresistible combination of poetic concentration and expressive freshness, as well as with fantasy and imagination required by these marvellous miniatures. The same is true of the two works that complete the CD: Papillons opus 2 and Allegro opus 8. The sound quality has the necessary naturalness required by a magical keystroke.
March2011
La Vanguardia
Future spring, by Jorge de Persia
Joy, vitality, fine technique, and the quest for the necessary freedom that defines her language. This is how we can sum up this concert, and the high-standard CD (a Schumann monograph) recorded by Judith Jáuregui with Columna Música.
The young pianist especially thrilled the public with Brahms Fantasies op. 116, a highly demanding, complex piece of great contrasts, delivering a thoughtful and solid version which showed her fine grasp of the phrasing and demonstrated her skill in the moments of virtuosity. Fantasiestücke op. 12, by Schumann, is a freer and fresher work, which resulted in a performance rich in contrasts and expressive dynamism. The planes in which the phrase is expressed requires great control and, at the beginning of Des Abends, she was able to shine through the difficult balance with the left hand, thus ensuring relevance and freedom of phrasing. A magnificent concert that culminated with a delicate and colourful Mompou, and especially with a splendid version of L'Isle Joyeuse by Debussy.
March2011
Catalunya Música
Notes de clàssica
Interview for the Notes de clàssica radio programme the day before presenting her album "Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño", at the Auditorium in Barcelona.
February2011
Melómano Magazine
Review of the Robert Schumann album, "El arte de lo pequeño".
We gladly welcome the first album recording by the young pianist Judith Jáuregui, launched last December in the Museum of Romanticism in Madrid - what better place to hear this work dedicated to three great pieces by a young Robert Schumann. The programme was personally chosen by Jáuregui, and was composed of Papillons Op.2, Allegro Op.8 and Fantasiestücke Op.12.
With the first two pieces she delighted the audience gathered for the launch, with such convincing technique and expressive self-assurance that, if we permit ourselves the whimsy of bringing the composer back to life, the mad genius would once again fall in love, abandon his beloved Clara Wieck and come to Spain to pay court and homage to Judith Jáuregui. And he would listen incessantly to this excellent album, a minor art for a great artist, recorded for the Columna Música label as part of the Juventudes Musicales de España collection. In this highly personal album, the San Sebastian pianist controls every note, every compliment, even in the expressive silences. Many pianists would like to make such a grand entrance to the world of recording as the young pianist has done.
February2011
Spanish National Radio
Interview for the Música joven programme, by Beatriz Torío.
El arte de lo pequeño (The art of small things) is the title of the first solo album by Judith Jáuregui, the 25-year-old San Sebastian pianist. Her talent and work have made her one of the big names in piano music in Spain. She is our guest on the programme today and we’ll be talking about her album –a tribute to Robert Schumann–, her training, and upcoming projects.
January2011
Yo Dona Magazine
Love for Schumann.
El arte de lo pequeño (The art of small things) is the title of the first solo album by Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985). The recording includes two of the best-known works of German composer Robert Schumann, Papillons and Fantasiestücke, "small musical impressions that bring together all the great works", says the Basque pianist.
January2011
Diario Vasco
Technique and Character, by María José Cano.
With tickets completely sold out -although a few places remained- and a more than respectful silence, the San Sebastian audience welcomed pianist Judith Jáuregui, who debuted at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre with a demanding solo recital. Various 'fantasies' by composers such as Mozart, Brahms, Scriabin, and Schumann made up the repertory, perfect for gauging the technique and character of any performer.
As regards technique, Jáuregui proved herself to be up there with the best pianists alive today. Not a single hesitation, or slip, or a moment when her immaculate finger work faltered. She seemed to blossom during the most compromised moments and handled the sound and attack with amazing confidence. Her technical mastery was evident in Brahms Op. 116, a difficult cycle which the San Sebastian pianist showed she had mastered down to the last detail. The other aspect, that of character, was another great achievement by this pianist who will soon be rubbing shoulders with the piano greats.
And Judith Jáuregui has a lot of character, she does not come across as a young performer. This was apparent with her initial Mozart; a Brahms rendition unsuitable for immature performers – which she could perhaps have let flow a little more freely, even if it meant sacrificing technical perfection a little; and, above all, a terrific-sounding Scriabin. Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, which culminated the concert, was a mix of fragility and tenderness, palpable in the initial Des Abends, and also passion and sudden outbursts– as in Aufschwung for example, in an interpretation that treated the audience to beautiful art, and an expert combination of technique and character.
January2011
Radio SER
Hoy por hoy radio programme, by Vanessa Rodriguez.
The San Sebastian pianist, Judith Jáuregui, joined us yesterday in the studio to talk about her career and the concert today, Wednesday 26 January, at 8pm in the Victoria Eugenia Theatre in San Sebastian, where she will play fantasies by Mozart, Brahms, Scriabin, and Schumann.
January2011
EITB Radio
Interview for Graffiti, by Juan Carlos de Rojo and Félix Linares.
One of the pianists with the greatest future ahead of them at the moment is Judith Jáuregui. With a packed schedule (Bilbao, San Sebastian, Pamplona, etc.) the 25-year-old artist will join us and take a look back at the past and also towards the future. Do you know she made her piano debut when was 12? Or that she played in San Sebastian’s City Hall when she was only 8?
January2011
El Cultural
La última palabra, by Benjamín García-Rosado.
The new face of Spanish piano music, Judith Jáuregui (San Sebastian, 1985), has just finished recording her first solo album El arte de lo pequeño, which she decided to dedicate to Schumann. On Thursday she’s at the Philharmonic Society of Malaga to play a varied selection of work by composers Falla, Albéniz, Mompou, Brahms, Mozart etc., which she will perform over the year at various venues in Spain.
January2011
Onda Cero Radio
"You have to put jeans on classical music".
Interview for the well-known Onda Cero radio programme Julia en la onda.
December2010
Spanish National Radio
Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño, by Mavi Aldana
We interviewed Judith Jaúregui who, following an intense year of work, presents her first album as a soloist: Schumann , el arte de lo pequeño (Schumann, the art of small things). Judith says she has always felt an affinity with Schumann, from his intimate and dreamy side, to the more temperamental and passionate, which is why her first work is dedicated to this particular composer. Judith has a full concert schedule lined up for 2011.
December2010
Diverdi
Review of the album Robert Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño, by Arturo Reverter
The young San Sebastian pianist on this CD is very fortunate. To be able to play Schumann like this at the age of 25 is as surprising as it is beautiful. Undoubtedly, hours and hours of study lie behind this record, as well as a lot of talent. Jáuregui has evidently made the most of the tuition she received from her conservatoire teacher, Cristina Navajas and the instruction from Claudio Martínez-Mehner in Salamanca and Vadim Suchanov in Munich. However, there is no denying that the pianist was born with the divine finger pointing at her. Her many qualities could be enjoyed a few seasons ago at concerts given by young musicians of the Scherzo Foundation. These qualities include that sureness of fingering, control of the mechanism, the play with dynamics and the sense of form, long or short. Amen to this mysterious touch that gives us a clear sense of the quality of timbre.
December2010
La Razón
Con firma propia, by Jesús Amilibia
Judith Jáuregui. Profession: Pianist. Born in 1985, in San Sebastian. Why she is here: to present her first album, Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño.
December2010
Intereconomía Radio
Véngase conmigo, by José María Prieto
When women reach such greatness that wins them admiration it is because behind it lies talent, dedication, enthusiasm and many other qualities. And this is what we have here today: a woman who is passionate about her profession and, to quote the experts, has a great future ahead of her. In this part of the programme, "Now, women" we have such a woman - the pianist Judith Jáuregui.
December2010
El Diario Vasco
The donostiarra pianist records her first album with works by the German composer, by Enrique Mingo
The young pianist from San Sebastian, Judith Jauregui (1985), who will play on 26 January in the Victoria Eugenia as part of the Classical season, has just released Schumann, el arte de lo pequeño, her first album as a soloist, dedicated to a composer “who I have always felt an affinity with, his passionate and extreme character”. The musician who, following the recording, is giving various recitals, sees the current crisis as “an opportunity for her” as well as for many other talented young artists.
October2010
Glamour Magazine
GEMS Report - The women they love
Following in the path of the writer Stieg Larsson, there are many men who see in us a great example to follow. Here we introduce you to our own particular Generation of Outstanding Women, capable of performing, writing, designing or creating music with as much passion, enthusiasm and effort as the very first day. Congratulations! [...]
Judith Jáuregui - 2010 has been a great year for this young Basque pianist who has seen her dream of recording her first album become a reality. “For me it was a great joy. To have an album is the best recommendation you can have and it is my particular way of creating stories within me.” If you still haven’t heard Judith’s wonderful art, this autumn she is giving concerts all over Spain, bringing her music to everybody (judithjauregui.com). “I want to get very far, to spend my whole life doing this. I’m delighted that my work is recognised”, she says enthusiastically.
September2010
Basque Television
Interview for the TV programme EITB Cultura
Judith Jáuregui plays tribute to Robert Schumann on her first solo album, which forms part of the Juventudes Musicales collection released by Columna Música.
June2010
El Diario Vasco
The young San Sebastian pianist with a blossoming career, takes on the recording of her first CD, by María José Cano
She has recently turned 25 and it seems she was born for music. The San Sebastian artist, through her own merit, ranks among the most brilliant of Spanish pianists to emerge in recent years. Her name is already well known at festivals such as the International Festival in Granada, the Quincena Musical in San Sebastian and la Roque d'Anthéron in France and she has just finished recording her first solo album, a tribute to Schumann, which is sure to create a stir. We chatted to her about the life of a young woman dedicated to piano.
May2010
Spanish Television
Interview for the TV programme Últimas Preguntas
Today we are talking about the values of youth, as personified in the young and promising pianist: Judith Jaúregui.
April2010
Scherzo Magazine
Festival Musika-Música 2010, by Asier Vallejo
The recital given by the young Judith Jáuregui from San Sebastian, recently returned from the Ciclo de Jóvenes Intérpretes of this foundation, was truly revelatory: the warm and sensitive musicality she drew from her piano expanded the subtle and velvety beauty of its sound to an effusive and passionate intensity, especially in the case of Chopin’s Impromptus, which was transformed into an increasingly rich and exuberant lyricism.
April2010
Diario El Correo
Young and brimming with talent, by César Coca
It is only 10 years ago - around the time the world breathed a sigh of relief to find that the millennium curse was but a rumour - since Judith Jáuregui was an adolescent walking around San Sebastián with her portfolio full of musical scores. Javier Perianes, who shortly before that was still dreaming about music in his native Huelva, was completing his studies and starting to believe that one day he could make a living from his performances. Likewise with Luis Fernando Pérez from Madrid and Iván Martín of the Canary Islands. The four of them, now between the ages of 25 (Judith recently celebrated her 25th birthday) and 32 (Pérez), form part of the most brilliant generation of young pianists that Spain has ever seen. Although young, they have plenty of experience behind them. All four have embarked upon an international career, recorded records or are about to do so and have won various awards. Their schedules are packed with performance dates for all over the world. This is talent in its purest state.
September2009
Catalunya Música - XIII Temporada de Música de Cámara de Santa Cristina d'Aro
Cotrapunt Radio Programme, by Xavier Chavarría
[…] Seasons like Santa Cristina d’Aro are a haven for true music lovers. And, truly, the star of the concert was worth it; Judith Jáuregui is one of the best pianist of her generation. Only 24 years of age, she already shows not only an amazing technique but also an unusual maturity. She has character, understands the music and plays it with passion. Today, her potential has no limits […]
She offered us a round trip that began and ended with Chopin, taking in Mompou, and an almost orchestral Debussy at the pinnacle of the recital. And with every author she could show different virtues. Indeed, with L’Isle Joyeuse, by Debussy, she made the piano sound almost like an orchestra, with energy and conviction, with a rich timbre and generous, ample sonority. Chopin is one of her specialities, and the dizzying scales of the three Impromptus began the concert, showing her virtuous and quintessential technique. Clear, brilliant and with absolute precision, weaving each line and voice into a transparent and elegant tapestry.
Mompou doesn´t allow for much fussing around and it’s necessary to go straight to the essence. It’s goldsmithing in sound, musical symbolism that requires great delicacy, simplicity and exquisite taste. Every chord, every note must have the proper weight, whether in the Scènes d'enfants or in the Variations of a Chopin theme. Judith Jáuregui achieved a prodigious balance of sensual and magical sonorities […] The Grand Polonaise in E flat and the Mazurca, opus 17, as an encore, was a brilliant close to an exciting recital.
August2009
Diario La Vanguardia - XXIII Festival Castell de Peralada
Top, by Jorge de Persia
[...] This excellent concert culminated in the meteoric Quintet in E flat major by Schumann, with the participation of the remarkable pianist Judith Jáuregui [...] The rendition, as should be the case, was brilliant in expression, with transparency in the thematic structure, a convincing fugue, accents and rhythms in the Trio, strong individual voices and, above all, musicality [...] The best session so far without a doubt.
August2009
El Diario Vasco - 70th Quincena Musical de San Sebastián
A beautiful union, by Aitor Álvarez
As part of the 1900-1936: Tiempos de Vanguardia season, which aims to reflect the cultural ferment that took place during the earlier decades of the twentieth century between San Sebastian and Biarritz, Quincena staged an original concert that offered up music and recited poetry in equal measure.
While many thought the two elements would come together during the performance of the pieces, which would indeed have been an interesting exercise, the audience were made to wait until the end, as though it were a tip, for music and poetry to finally embrace in a common space of time and which, incidentally, never detracted from each other.
Jáuregui opened up with three delicious Basque Preludes by Aita Donostia, which gave us a glimpse of the abilities she would show throughout the concert, combined in a passionate style and rich expressive strength. Following this, Uribe recited poems of the most important Basque writers of the time. Two beautiful piano works by Albéniz were followed by a Bartok, played by Jáuregui with the self-assurance and character required of such a piece. To conclude this delightful event we were treated to three poems in Euskera by foreign authors and two Goyesque piano pieces from Granados, the former laden with sorrow and melancholy and the latter brimming with bravura
August2009
Argia Magazine - 70th Quincena Musical de San Sebastián
Heat, music and words, by Montserrat Auzmendi
[…] To begin with, Judith Jaúregui performed three Aita Donostia preludes: namely, Bat-batian, Oñazez and Artzai gaztearen oiuak. These were pure and classic interpretations, as the works of Aita Donostia require. The young pianist also offered us various lesser-known pieces by Albéniz. Both Plegaria and Polonesa were performed in just the way they should be.
However, this pianist, only 24 years old, certainly demonstrated her musical maturity when performing works by Bartok and Granados. She gave an excellent rendition of Bartok’s 6 Romanian Dances. Everything was just right and well-prepared: A balanced “rubato”, nothing excessive, a marked rhythm and a somewhat naive style… […]
El pelele (Granados) was magnificent and resplendent. Technically perfect and musically charming and appealing. […]
August2009
Easyclassic - 29th Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron
Nuit de Chopin, by Gérard Abrial
[…] A curriculum vitae that mentions the “Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron” and, moreover, the playground of the greatest, Parque de Florans, is surely an open door to the future, a major step to exploring the world of Steinways and Bechsteins.
Enthusiasm for a Martha Argerich or Aldo Ciccolini recital is understandable. The risk of disappointment is minimal. But to come to hear musicians in the early stages of their career is a “melomaniacal” act that is more exciting in a way. From this perspective, the audience at this Night of Chopin will have been compensated a million times over for their curiosity.
[…] Judith Jáuregui, with a clear, light touch, and equipped with a sober musical thought, delivered an elegant Chopin[…] Later, she played the Variations of Mompou, inspired by the lover of Nohant. The style was always pleasant, sometimes anecdotal. Relieved by having achieved a very fine concert, the young Spanish pianist with arms like the wings of an albatross, gave the audience the most beautiful smile of this 2009 edition […]
July2009
Diario Ideal - 58th International Festival of Music and Dance in Granada
Coffee with Albéniz and Chopin, by José Antonio Lacárcel
The Café Concierto was a total success. Really, excellent. We were offered exceptional quality by a very young pianist from San Sebastian, with a programme graced with moments of extraordinary brilliance. The pianist, -remember the name, because it’s sure to be talked about-, Judith Jáuregui, brought together two piano greats. The first, Chopin, a world-famous Pole, the other, Albéniz, a world-famous Spaniard. Judith Jáuregui offered us the Albéniz who is less known, but also very interesting, combining salon pieces, such as “Amalia”, the waltz known as “L’automne”, and especially the beautiful “Mallorca”, a work that showed us the characteristic features of a musician intensely committed to Spanish music. Amidst all of this, we had a beautiful, robust and brilliant “Bolero in C Major”, by Chopin. And again, the less familiar Albéniz, namely of the “Doce piezas características”, of which four were rendered. And, to round off a fascinating Chopin, the “Andante Spianato and Grand Brilliant Polonaise op.22”.
How well, and with such good taste, with such delicacy Jáuregui played. She shone at every moment, but especially with Chopin. There she seemed to be in her element, she reached deep into the music of the piano genius and succeeded in transmitting a world of emotions, thanks to a superbly polished technique and a capacity to recreate the eternal Chopin.
It was a short but beautiful concert. Albéniz and Chopin, two different perspectives at the piano, different yet very close, and a young and exquisite artist.
May2009
Diario El Correo
Six artists explain to 'Territorios' Albéniz's works, which they know well
A step in a pianist’s career. This is the way pianists approach Albéniz’s scores, in particular the Suite Iberia, full of incredible technical difficulties, which have to be solved as the same time as one creates a special atmosphere because at times, Albeniz’s piano should not sound like a piano but like a guitar or as castanets. Six Spanish pianists from various generations explain what it has meant for them to bury themselves in these scores and how they understand the music of one of the essential composers of the Spanish culture.
April2009
Revista Variaciones
The Proust Questionnaire
At the end of the nineteenth century, when Proust was still in his teens, he answered a questionnaire in an English-language Confession album belonging to his friend Antoinette, daughter of the future President Félix Faure, entitled “An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc.” At that time, it was a fad among English families to answer such a list of questions that revealed the tastes and aspirations of the taker. Subject to a few changes, we ask our protagonists to answer this questionnaire to present a brief and precise portrait to our readers…
February2009
Diario El Correo
The young Basque pianist, one of the promising figures of classical music returns to the Bilbao festival where she started in 2008
Aged 23, this young artist has an impressive curriculum: she has won prizes such as the Frechilla-Zuloaga in Valladolid and the Young Pianist of Albacete. She has performed during the Quincena Musical de San Sebastián, at La Roque d'Anthéron, at the festival Castell de Peralada and at Musika-Música in Bilbao. She has given recitals and performed with orchestras in and outside Spain. Her name is Judith Jáuregui and the critics all agree that she is one of the rising stars of the Spanish piano scene.
January2009
La Tribuna de Albacete
Extraordinary performance, full of nuances and so evocative, by Ramón Martínez
[...] The second half of the concert started with Liszt’s Concerto in E flat. It is divided in three movements. In the first movement, Allegro molto moderato, the amazing mastery of the young pianist left the public astounded. The Adagio showed us the ability of both her hands and the excellent training she has received. In the Allegro moderato molto marcato, Judith excelled herself receiving a standing ovation and, with the director, had to aknowledge many times the warm welcome.
September2008
Diario Vasco
The future is young, by María José Cano
^[...] Everything taken into account, it is strange that the best concerts of the 69th edition of the Quincena have been performed by the young artists. Without any doubt, the best orchestra has been the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, the most acclaimed director has been Tugan Sokhiev and the Orchestre du Capitole of Toulouse and the young Basque pianist Judith Jáuregui has been the great surprise amongst the soloists. All this shows that the future is young, but only on the stage…
August2008
Diario Vasco
Brilliant personality, by María José Cano
It seems unbelievable that the child who presented herself years back in all her innocence at the San Sebastian piano competition is the same young woman who performed yesterday at the Palacio Miramar. Judith Jáuregui was on a par with the best artists not as a young promise for the future – which would correspond to her 23 years- but a mature artist. She presented herself at the Quincena with a demanding programme both at the technical and expressive level. Her technique – her playing is both powerful and brillant- enabled her to tackle the repertory with great ease. But if Judith’s control over sound, her understanding of music and the intensity of her playing were exceptional, what astonished us most were her personality and her character. This is what made the difference and what only great pianists are able to bring out on stage. With all these qualities, one can guess how she presented her well-chosen programme. From the first piece she played by Grieg, it was easy to imagine what her recital would be like: passionate, alive. Judith Jáuregui does not leave anything to chance but her music never feels constrained. If Grieg was expressive, Mompou was all sweetness and gave way to a controlled Debussy. Nothing better than Rachmaninov to crown a magnificent concert! Do not forget her name, she is going to be news!
August2008
Diario Vasco
The Basque pianist, who performs for the first time at the Quincena, will today give a recital at the Palacio Miramar
She is only 23 but has just been playing at the International Piano Festival of La Roque d’Anthéron. She will perform at the Ciclo de Jóvenes Interpretes the same programme, which was such a roaring success in France.
May2008
Scherzo Magazine
Excellent recital by Judith Jáuregui, from beginning to end. By Joaquín Arnau Amo
She is audacious with the left pedal. She is not afraid of silences. In other words, she enjoys herself and pleases us in some dark corners full of meaning and tensions. She is wise although so young. She is not a precocious pianist: she is not on the border line between miracle and catastrophy. She is young and one would usually say that she promises but she gives already so much of what she promises that saying that would be redundant. Her recital was not only excellent but as well amazing [...]Mompou does not hold any secrets for Judith Jáuregui, but she has some for Mompou. It is the magic of the performer who discovers the composer, not only for the audience but for the composer himself [...] Liszt was brillant because Liszt is all brillance, ideal to show technique, talent and character. Remember because one will talk about her…or remain silent listening.
March2008
La Tribuna de Albacete
The winner of the XVIIth Concurso de Jóvenes Pianistas Ciudad de Albacete is in the news again
[...]Augustín Peiró believes that without any exageration Judith Jáuregui is a real discovery, an authentic figure in Music (with the capital letter!). Although she is young, she has all the qualities of exceptional artists who with each performance touch the deepest emotions of the listener. This is why I encourage the public to fill the concert hall with all its warmth and exercise that healthy selfishness of listening to great music, which talented fingers are able to transmit and create a necessary and unforgettable moment.
