“Eros’ Dream” by Óscar Esplá and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5
National Orchestra of Spain
Conductor: Pablo González
Óscar Esplá — “Eros’ Dream”
Gustav Mahler — Symphony No. 5
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National Orchestra and Choir of Spain
Founded in 1937 by the Government of the Second Republic as the National Concert Orchestra, and after a brief performance season in Barcelona in 1938, the National Orchestra of Spain—under its current name—resumed activity in March 1942, following the hiatus of the Spanish Civil War. Since then, it has maintained an intense concert life, including its regular concert cycle in Madrid—based at the National Auditorium of Music since 1988—as well as appearances at Spain’s leading festivals and tours across Spain, Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
With the start of the 2026/27 season, the National Orchestra and Choir of Spain—a unified institution since 1971—enters a new phase with the appointment of American conductor Kent Nagano as its Principal and Artistic Director. This appointment reaffirms OCNE’s commitment to international outreach.
Prior to Maestro Nagano, the National Orchestra of Spain was led by David Afkham (2014–2026), Bartolomé Pérez Casas, Ataúlfo Argenta, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Antoni Ros-Marbà, Jesús López Cobos, Aldo Ceccato, and Josep Pons. As guest conductors, the orchestra has collaborated with legendary figures such as Sergiu Celibidache, Igor Markevitch, Rafael Kubelík, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Yuri Temirkanov, Ton Koopman, Gustavo Dudamel, Semyon Bychkov, Leonard Slatkin, Christoph Eschenbach, Pablo Heras-Casado, Giovanni Antonini, Juanjo Mena, Joana Mallwitz, Jörg Widmann, Simone Young, Anja Bihlmaier, Gemma New, Vladimir Ashkenazy, William Christie, and Susana Mälkki.
Since September 2014, the National Orchestra and Choir of Spain has released several recordings on its own label. Earlier releases included *Sonata Suite*, winner of the Latin Grammy Award for Best Flamenco Album (2010), and *El amor brujo* with Estrella Morente (Deutsche Grammophon), as well as monographic albums devoted to Benet Casablancas (Diverdi) and César Camarero (Kairos). More recently, the OCNE label has issued Mahler and Shostakovich symphonies conducted by David Afkham; concertante works by Ginastera and Rodrigo under Juanjo Mena; and historically informed reconstructions of works by Ramón Carnicer and Manuel García.
The National Orchestra and Choir of Spain is a production unit of the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), Ministry of Culture.
PABLO GONZÁLEZ — Conductor
Recognized as one of the most versatile and passionate conductors of his generation, Pablo González inspires orchestras and audiences worldwide. He listens attentively to every silence and entrance of the full symphony orchestra, “weaving and ordering this tonal revolution” (OperaWorld).
He served as Principal Conductor of the Spanish Radio and Television Orchestra and Choir (2019–2023) and of the Barcelona Symphony and National Orchestra of Catalonia (2010–2015), Guest Principal Conductor of the Granada City Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Among his recent and upcoming engagements are concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, The Hallé, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Dresden Philharmonic, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Liège Philharmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, and Buenos Aires Philharmonic. In Spain, he maintains close ties with all major Spanish symphony orchestras, regularly performing with them at international festivals.
As an opera conductor, highlights include *Don Giovanni* and *L’elisir d’amore* in two successful Glyndebourne Tours, *Carmen* at the San Sebastián International Music Festival, *Una voce in off*, *La voix humaine*, *Die Zauberflöte*, *Daphne*, and *Rienzi* at the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona), and *Tosca* and *Madama Butterfly* at the Oviedo Opera.
He has collaborated with soloists including Maxim Vengerov, Nikolai Lugansky, Javier Perianes, Khatia Buniatishvili, Beatrice Rana, Renée Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Sol Gabetta, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isabelle Faust, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Arcadi Volodos, Viktoria Mullova, Johannes Moser, Truls Mørk, and Viviane Hagner.
His discography includes a three-volume monograph on Enrique Granados and a CD featuring the suites from Bizet’s *Carmen* and *L’Arlésienne*, recorded with the Barcelona Symphony and National Orchestra of Catalonia for Naxos. Pablo González enjoys an ongoing collaboration with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern (DRP); their recording of Schumann with Lena Neudauer received the prestigious “International Classical Music Award”.
Born in Oviedo, Pablo González studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London). He currently resides in Oviedo.