Jose Maria Gallardo Del Rey, guitar, Spain
The world-famous Spanish guitarist, composer and conductor José María Gallardo del Rey is one of the musicians who do not limit the scope of their creativity to one genre. He turned his talent into theater and ballet productions, opera, flamenco and jazz more than once. Gallardo del Rey gained international fame already in childhood, since that times his every performance has been accompanied by rave reviews of critics. Now he is one of the most respected guitarists and has a great demand in orchestras all over the world.
Close relationships with the world of flamenco have influenced on his development as a classical guitarist. The unique way of performing and understanding Spanish music was born from the confluence of these styles. Jose Maria has participated in the recording of such disks as ‘Pasión Española‘ by Plácido Domingo (Latin Grammy 2008), ‘Habanera’ by Elīna Garanča (2010), ‘Caprichos Líricos’ by Teresa Berganza.
Gallardo del Rey is a founder and director of La Maestranza chamber ensemble, performing his own compositions among others. The guitarist participated in many major music events, such as Darwin International Guitar Festivals (Australia, 1995, 1997) and Celebrating the 70th anniversary of Mstislav Rostropovich (Paris, 1997), where he performed on the same stage with Yehudi Menuhin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Seiji Ozawa and Elton John.
José María Gallardo del Rey has given concerts on prestigious international venues: Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), the Royal Palace of Stockholm, National Auditorium (Dublin), Opéra Comique (Paris), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Auditorium Stravinski (Montreux), Performing Arts Centre of California, Carnegie Hall (New York), Rome Theatre (Brussels), as well as at the best concert halls in Spain. In 2004 the guitarist made his debut solo concert in Moscow.
José María Gallardo del Rey is a world’s premiere performer of compositions by such composers as Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Santiago Navaskués, Gerald Brophy and many others.
