Top tenor signs composer contract with Beethoven’s publisher
mainMessage from José Cura:
Happy and proud to announce the beginning of my collaboration with the legendary Austrian Publishing House, Doblinger Musikverlag. The prestigious Viennese based company will soon be publishing my work as a composer, so that everyone can access the scores of Ecce Homo, my Neruda Sonnets or my guitar concerto “Concierto para un Resurgir” (written during pandemic lockdown), among other works to come.
At this moment of international distress, it is an amazing feeling to be able to establish this cultural relationship that not only is a proof that there is light at the end of this covid tunnel, but also is a recognition to my resuming of my composer work , longly paused in benefit of my performing career. This doesn’t mean I will stop performing, don’t worry, but I cannot think of a better way of balancing my artistic life after having performed nearly 3000 times in the last 30 years…
World premiers of my “Te Deum” and my “Concierto para un resurgir” are planned for next year (covid allowing …), as well as the release of the recordings of “Ecce Homo” and “Si muero, sobrevíveme” (the Neruda Sonnets). Also, in 2022, my “Requiem Argentino” will be premiered, in coincidence with the 40 years of the South Atlantic War between Argentina and UK, back in 1982. Scores of these works will be added to Doblinger’s Musikverlag catalog soon.
Peace & Love!
Here are a couple of his songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVR7-YGbaSo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsHwtlQgKmc
Here is a fragment from his opera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhPpOwu7UAA
No modernism there. The least you can say about it is that it is ‘healthy music’. Good for him!
He also occasionally does some wallet fillings, which seem less healthy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4s8s5b7dzg
Thank you John! I’m laughing my head off with the “wallet filling” thing! You’re damm right! But it was 20 years ago in those times when I was more product than artist. Currently fighting hard to reverse the equation! Anyhow thank you and thank Norman for paying attention to my everlasting crusade to deserve respect as a serious musician. Hard times ahead for classic art so fighting together is a must if we want to have something left at the end of these testing moments!
Do you list your compositions on your website? I looked for the list, but did not find it.
Fully agreed. (Sorry for the wallet comment!)
The survival of the art form is entirely dependent upon the performers (and not the crust around them which distracts from their true vocation)… Postcorona music will be carried by the ‘idealism’ of the performers, and this idealism is in fact the most concrete realism possible, especially after this awful time. My greatest respect for your work and songs….
Absolutely right, Señor Cura, and I wish you every success in your endeavors.
I’ve always been a huge fan of your singing – your Puccini Arias and Verismo CDs are never far from my stereo system.
I admit to an ignorance of your compositions, a situation which I will soon rectify.
Bravo, and buena suerte!
Obviously I was wrong with the songs…. they are beautiful, nonetheless.
John, one thing: far from me wanting to correct you, but this song is not mine but Guastavino’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVR7-YGbaSo. It is called Soneto IV and is part of a four songs cycle. Actually, please don’t even post my comment. I just wanted to let you know so that you can correct your post. Best, José
The Gustavino was lovely, but I liked your song better 🙂
Hola and congratulations, Jose Cura. This is good and encouraging news both for you and for music. Your very beautiful and impressive CD “Anhelo” has moving examples of singing, writing, and conducting together with Pablo Neruda’s ” Poems of Love and Death” and your superb associates including Eduardo Delgado’s incomparable “Adios Nonino”. It has given me and many friends great pleasure while moving me to tears…. “If I should die and you should not,” por ejemplo A thousand thanks. — Edgardo el Mismo
I would honestly not call Doblinger Musikverlag a major publishing house. Yes, it was big once, but now it has been devoured by the major monsters in the play: Universal, Peters, Wise Group, Bärenreiter, Schott, Breitkopf… and all the re-print publishers (Dover…).
Would you call it then a highly respected publisher house? If so, this is even bigger than “major” under the nowadays super blurred candle lights of the showbiz…
I would definitely not call it “respected”. I find errors and errors and more errors in almost all Doblinger scores I buy of standard repertoire. I don’t think anyone would choose a Doblinger Beethoven, Mozart, Bruckner or Schubert edition over a Baerenreiter or a Breitkopf.
Dear FrauGeigerin,
what might be „major“ or not can be seen in different ways. The way you describe it, we are actually quite happy to not be seen as one of the major „monster“ publishers.
And we are also quite happy that we have not been eaten up by them, but always have kept our freedom to work as an individual publishing company since 1876. Our calatogue of today lists ca. 14.000 available titles, our distributions works internationally, we publish around 100 new works each year from solo instruments to operas, from educational to concert stage, from classical to contemporary music – and we work with many living female and male composers in Austria and Europe. If that’s small, so be it… and we promote our publications internationally, attend trade shows in Europe, Asia and the USA… btw, here is our bilingual new issue catalogue Autumn 2020, showing our new issue production inspite of Corona…: http://www.doblinger-musikverlag.at/dyn/kataloge/102_Doblinger_neu_WEB.pdf
Best wishes, Doblinger Music Publishers, Vienna – Austria
They publish Walter Arlen and that is a good thing.
PR department promo in 3, 2 ,1…
How is Doblinger “Beethoven’s publisher” when it was founded half a century after his death?
Good job. New modern music isn’t all academic garbage after all; it can also be beautiful.
Dear Mr. Lebrecht,
thank you very much for sharing these great news on Slipped Disc, but please allow me to correct your headline a bit. Our Viennese publishing company was established in 1876.
True, we do have published a lot of Beethoven works too, but we would not consider us “Beethoven’s Publisher”…
Best wishes from Vienna,
Doblinger Music Publishers
I am aware of that. But Beethoven used to buy his music paper from your shop, which gives you pre-status as publsher.
!Vivo Rosario! ! Vivo la Argentina!– Edgardo el Mismo