Ritual

Solo viola program:

**HILDEGARD VON BINGEN (1098–1179)**. 'O Virtus Sapientiae' (arr. Villanueva)

**GYÖRGY KURTÁG (1926)**. 'Signs, Games and Messages'. To Imre Foldes at 60
- Perpetuum mobile
- In Nomine – all’ongharese

**JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750)**. Partita No. 2 BWV 1004
- Allemanda
- Corrente
- Sarabanda
- Giga
- Ciaccona

**GYÖRGY KURTÁG (1926)**. 'Signs, Games and Messages'. In Memoriam Blum Tamàs

**HEINRICH IGNAZ BIBER (1644–1704)**. 'Passacaglia'

> "Silence is an indispensable condition for the emergence of sound, making the word habitable. When language failed to express the deepest human abysses, music arose as a privileged path connecting us with the mystical, with the transcendent element of reality. Thus emerged the musical ritual, where word and melody join hands to access a space in which spirits and gods are honored, where the unknown—and even the forbidden—are invoked. The ritual is a sacred and protected ceremony, a symbolic place where humans gather to reach the unmanifested, that which prefers to remain hidden. Music is the heart of the ritual, the heartbeat that gives life and illuminates the rhythms of the ceremony. But if the ritual is a map, it is also because it marks the limits—everything beyond our understanding. The ritual is the gateway to the mysterious, and music is the vehicle that carries us into this terra incognita. That is why music ultimately yields to the empire of silence, where its journey culminates. Music is ritual because it is the only language that returns us to the realm of all possibilities. Music is ritual because it is the only language that speaks to us of the impossible."

— Carlos Javier González Serrano

**ISABEL VILLANUEVA**

The prestigious magazine *The Strad* describes her as “an artist who takes risks,” while *Pizzicato Magazine* calls her “a sensitive artist capable of immersing herself deeply into music.” Villanueva is one of today’s most highly regarded violists, giving voice to her instrument with distinct artistic identity.

Since her debut at age 18 performing Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, she has built a career spanning over fifteen years, performing in more than 25 countries across Latin America, Russia, the Middle East, China, and Europe.

Villanueva is regularly invited as a soloist by orchestras including the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Soloists, Istanbul State Symphony, Zagreb Soloists, Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Nuevo León Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, National Orchestra of Andorra, Heredia Symphony Orchestra in Costa Rica, Lebanon Philharmonic, and numerous Spanish orchestras such as RTVE, Castilla y León, Valencia, Oviedo, Galicia, ADDA, Córdoba, Málaga, Navarra, Barcelona OBC, Murcia, among others.

She has given recitals in renowned venues and festivals such as the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Wigmore Hall, Berlin Konzerthaus, Estonia Concert Hall, Budapest Music Center, Société de Musique La Chaux-de-Fonds, Roudaki Hall in Tehran, Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, Slovenia Philharmonic Hall, Royal Court Theatre in Copenhagen, Gran Teatro Nacional de Lima, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Simón Bolívar Auditorium in Venezuela, Rottweil Musikfestival, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Palau de la Música Catalana, Bilbao Philharmonic Society, Quincena Musical de San Sebastián, and Santander Festival.

Her debut album *BOHÈMES* received the "Best Classical Music Album of the Year 2018" at the Independent Music Awards (MIN). In 2023, she released the solo album *RITUAL* to outstanding acclaim and was nominated for "Best Instrumental Solo" at the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) 2024.

Villanueva is the recipient of the RNE 2015 "El Ojo Crítico" Classical Music Award and the 2019 Comunidad de Madrid Classical Music Culture Award, among others.

Isabel Villanueva performs on an Enrico Catenar viola (Turin, 1670).