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Lorenzo Palomo
Lorenzo Palomo
	Palomo in 2017
Born	10 March 1938; Ciudad Real, Spain
Died	13 April 2024 (aged 86); Madrid, Spain
Occupations	Composer; Conductor;
Organizations	Valencia Orchestra; Deutsche Oper Berlin;
Awards	Order of Isabella the Catholic
Website	www.lorenzopalomo.com

Lorenzo Palomo (10 March 1938 – 13 April 2024) was a Spanish composer and conductor. He was chief conductor of the Valencia Orchestra from 1973 to 1976 and conductor and pianist of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1981 to 2004. Several of his compositions, often based on Andalusian traditions, were performed internationally and were recorded.

Biography

Soon after his birth in Ciudad Real in 1938,^[1] where his father was stationed during the Spanish Civil War, his mother returned with him to Pozoblanco where the family lived. Shortly afterwards, they moved to Córdoba where the composer spent his youth. Palomo studied piano and harmony at the Córdoba Conservatory and at the age of twenty he entered the Barcelona Conservatory,^[2] where he studied composition with Joaquín Zamacois and piano with Sofía Puche de Mendlewicz. He studied conducting further with Boris Goldovsky in New York City, with a scholarship from the Fundación Juan March.^[3]

He was chief conductor of the Valencia Orchestra from 1973^[3] to 1976 and conductor and pianist of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1981 to 2004.^[4]

His ballet La leyenda del Monte Bangkay was premiered in Manila, Philippines, in 1980. His song cycle Canciones españolas (Spanish Songs) was first performed by Montserrat Caballé at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1987. His Nocturnos de Andalucía (Andalusian Nocturnes) for guitar and orchestra was premiered by Pepe Romero and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Konzerthaus Berlin in 1996. His music was performed in concert halls including Symphony Hall in Boston), Suntory Hall in Tokyo and Auditorium Tschaikowsky in Moscow.^[3]

Palomo lived in Berlin for 38 years,^[4] but returned to Madrid in 2019.^[3] In 2022, he dedicated a new composition to the city of Córdoba on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Orquesta de Córdoba, Canto a Córdoba, setting a text by Juana Castro Muñoz.^[3]

Palomo died in Madrid on 13 April 2024, at the age of 86.^[3]

Works

Palomo composed many works for the voice, such as songs and song cycles, sometimes with optional accompaniment by harp or orchestra instead of piano. Several works were recorded.^[2]

His compositions are, according to his works list:^[5]

Compositions

La leyenda del Monte Bangkay, ballet^[3]
Del atardecer al alba, song cycle for voice and piano or orchestra^[2]
Tientos, song for voice and piano or orchestra
Plenilunio, song for voice and piano or orchestra
Una primavera andaluza, song cycle setting lyrics by Juan Ramón Jiménez for voice and piano or orchestra^[2]
Nocturnos de Andalucía, concertante suite for guitar and orchestra^[2]
FdB – Música para un festival, for orchestra
Andalusian Divertimento, piano trio
Concierto de Cienfuegos, for four guitars and orchestra
Cantos del alma, suite soprano, clarinet and orchestra
Madrigal y Cinco canciones sefardíes, song cycle for voice and guitar or piano or harp^[6]
Dulcinea, cantata for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, chorus and orchestra
Danza-Scherzo', for oboe and piano
Sinfonía a Granada, for soprano, guitar and orchestra
Fanfarria para una noche de estío, for trombone quartet
Toccata, for guitar
Nocturno y Danza, for orchestra
Rebeka's Rainbow, fong for voice and piano
Mi jardín solitario, song cycle for voice and guitar or piano
Perlas y lágrimas, for guitar
Helianthus, for guitar
El amor de los dos ositos, symphonic fairy-tale for soprano, mezzo-soprano and orchestra
Pinceladas de primavera, suite for two guitars
Fulgores, for violin, guitar and orchestra
The Sneetches (Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches), symphonic poem for narrator and orchestra or two pianos
Caribiana, for orchestra
Sinfonía Córdoba, for orchestra, including a short intervention of voice and guitar
Humoresca, for double bass and orchestra
Arabescos, for violin and orchestra
Fantasía sobre temas del folklore alemán, for violin and guitar
Escenas de una primavera alemana, song cycle for voice and guitar
Aldonza y Alonso, for soprano, tenor, chorus and piano
Rumbalina, for clarinet and piano
Sendero mágico, song cycle for voice and piano
El jardín de Baco, for marimba and orchestra^[7]

Recordings

Dulcinea, with soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin conducted by Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez, recorded live in 2006 at Konzerthaus Berlin^[4]^[2]
My Secluded Garden^[2]
- Madrigal y Cinco canciones sefardíes
- Concierto de Cienfuegos
Sinfonía Córdoba / Fulgores, recorded in 2016 by soloists and the Castile and León Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jesús López Cobos.^[8]
Andalusian Nocturnes^[2]
- Spanish Songs
Cantos del alma^[2]

Honours

In 2010 Palomo was knighted into the Order of Isabella the Catholic by King Juan Carlos I of Spain for his work disseminating the culture of Spain worldwide through his music.^[3] ^[9]