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Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez

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This article is about the Spanish conductor. For other people named Miguel Gómez, see Miguel Gómez (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gómez and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez
Born(1949-09-17)17 September 1949
Granada, Spain
Died4 August 2024(2024-08-04) (aged 74)
Málaga, Spain
Occupation(s)Composer, conductor
SpouseAlessandra Ruiz-Zuñiga Macías
AwardsOrder of Civil Merit
Websitewww.miguelgomezmartinez.net

Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez (17 September 1949 – 4 August 2024) was a Spanish conductor and composer. He was known for his ability to conduct without a copy of the score with him. He held international leading chief conductor positions including the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Orquesta de Valencia and Bern Theatre. His compositions include Sinfonía del descubrimiento.

Life and career

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Education

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Gómez Martínez was born in Granada[1] on 17 September 1949[2] into a family of musicians; his father was a professor in the Band of Granada and his mother a pianist.[3] Since childhood he was determined to become a conductor.[4]

At age five he was able to pass an examination at the Victoria Eugenia Music Conservatory of Granada,[5] and at age seven he climbed to the podium and conducted.[6][7] He did not only steadily lead the professors of the Band, but also corrected errors made by the transcriber in the score.[3]

At age 13 he began teaching piano at the Granada Conservatory.[6][7] In 1964 he moved to Madrid to study at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, and graduated with a First Class Diploma and the Price of the Conservatory.[3] He continued his studies of orchestra and choral conducting in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky.[8][6] He graduated at age 21, with the Prize of the Austrian Ministry of Education and Sciences.[9]

Conductor

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Gómez Martínez made his debut as a conductor in Sankt Pölten near Vienna in 1973 and then conducted in Lucerne. He conducted Beethoven's Fidelio in Berlin. He first conducted in Spain in 1975 at the International Music and Dance Festival in Granada.[3][6]

He became chief conductor and artistic director of several international orchestras: conductor at the Vienna State Opera (1976–1982),[7] and later guest conductor,[7][10] chief conductor of the Spanish RTVE Symphony Orchestra (1984–1987),[6][7][3] and chief conductor of the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid (1985–1991).[6][7][8] He became chief conductor of the Basque National Orchestra (1989–1993),[6][7] Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) in Mannheim (1990–1993),[7] musical and artistic director of the New Finnish National Opera Helsinki (1993–1996), chief conductor of the Hamburger Symphoniker (1992–2000)[7] who named him honorary conductor,[11] chief conductor of the Orquesta de Valencia (1997–2004)[6][7] GMD of the of the Bern Theatre (2000–2004),[7][11] manager at the Nationaltheater Mannheim (2004–2005)[12][7] and from 2004 also musical director of the Easter Festival Orchestra in Bayreuth.[7]

During his career he conducted orchestras in Europe, the US and the Far East, as well as most Spanish Orchestras.[4] He worked with singers such as Boris Christoff, Birgit Nilsson, Cesare Siepi, Alfredo Kraus, Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Ainhoa Arteta and Leo Nucci.[10]

Gomez Martínez was known for his ability to memorise scores.[7] He made recordings, including Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia with Elīna Garanča for Sony, the two Piano Concertos by Heitor Villa-Lobos with cellist Cristina Ortiz for Decca, works by Joaquín Turina for MDG, and Donizetti's Requiem for Orfeo,[7] with Cheryl Studer, Aldo Baldin, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.[1]

Composer

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Gómez Martínez also composed,[7] but had to restrict composing to times without other commitments, such as between concerts and on board of aeroplanes.[3] Among his works stand out Suite Burlesca (1972),[1] Sinfonía del descubrimiento (Symphony of the Discovery) (1992) with occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America,[12][7] Five songs on Poems by Alonso Gamo (1996) for soprano and orchestra,[11] Sinfonía del Agua (Water Symphony) (2007) commissioned by Emasagra,[1] Morning dawning (Passacaglia) (2010), his only opera Atallah,[12][7] Letters from a lover, a work for baritone and symphony orchestra dedicated to his wife, Alessandra,[8] a Piano Concerto and a Violin Concerto.[7]

He recorded his orchestral works Sinfonia del descubrimiento and Canciones with soprano Marussa Xyni and the Hamburger Symphoniker. A reviewer from Gramophone described him in 1999 as a "readily communicative composer of fastidious gifts" and added: "The two works here combine a strong lyrical and dramatic impulse with a tasteful sprinkling of local colour. Passionately committed performances under the composer's direction, finely recorded.".[13]

Personal life

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Gómez Martínez was married to Alessandra Ruiz-Zúñiga,[12] to whom he dedicated a five-piece orchestral song cycle, setting their love letters to music.[8]

He died in Malaga on 4 August 2024, at the age of 74,[12] after having been suddenly taken to a hospital.[6][7]

Awards

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Gómez Martínez was awarded the Gold Medal of the City of Granada for his extraordinary artistic merits[12] in 1984. He was designated 'Citizen of Granada of the 20th Century' by the Town of Granada.[14] In 1995 King Juan Carlos I awarded him the Encomienda de Número of the Order of Civil Merit.[12][15] The Ministry of Culture of the State of Bavaria named him The Lion of Bavaria for his work leading the Young Orchestra of the Easter Festival in Bayreuth.[16] He was a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Granada.[2] and an honorary member of different musical associations in Spain and Europe.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez". Orfeo Music. 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Salazar, Francisco (5 August 2024). "Obituary: Legendary Maestro Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez Dies at 74". OperaWire. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Garcia, Alejandro V. (30 October 2000). "Miguel A Gomez Martínez, Una cabeza llena de música". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Entrevista a Miguel Ángel Gomez Martínez". filomusica.com (interview) (in Spanish). 15 December 2007. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Juanito Vida at the Artistic Center and other talents from Granada". granadablogs.com (in Spanish). 16 May 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Spanish Conductor Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez has Died, Aged 74". Violin Channel. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Ha muerto Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez". Scherzo (in Spanish). 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Gaviňa, Susana (23 November 2012). "La nueva vida de Gómez Martínez". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  9. ^ Castro, Eduardo (19 January 1983). "Granada rinde homenaje al director de orquesta Miguel A. Gómez". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b Maneiro, Cristóbal (26 August 2011). "Miguel Ángel Gómez: "La química ha funcionado con la Sinfónica de Galicia"". La Voz de Galizia (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Música en apoyo de Madrid 2020 de la mano de la ORCAM". Madrid (in Spanish). 21 July 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Fallece el músico Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, exdirector de la Orquesta y Coro RTVE". La Voz de Galizia (in Spanish). 26 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  13. ^ Achenbach, Andrew (July 1999). "Gómez-Martinez Orchestral Works". Gramophone. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  14. ^ Gómez, Rafael Díaz (22 February 2002). "Granadinos del siglo XX: un compositor, un poeta y ¿un taquillero?". mundoclasico.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
  15. ^ Ceballos, Abraham (1 October 2010). "Verdi abre este sábado la temportada lírica del Teatro Villamarta". andaluciainformacion.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Premio especial Ministerio de Cultura y Educación del Estado de Baviera para Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez". Beckmesser (in Spanish). 25 March 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
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Cultural offices
Preceded by Directors, RTVE Symphony Orchestra
1984–1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Directors, Valencia Orchestra
1997–2005 		Succeeded by
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