As part of its regular concert series and under the title Un invitado en nuestra casa (“A Guest in Our Home”), Cantus Ensemble is soon bringing to Zagreb the distinguished Argentine-Spanish composer and conductor Fabián Panisello—one of the most prominent figures on the international contemporary music scene.
The fourth concert of Cantus Ensemble will take place on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 8:00 PM in the Small Hall of the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. Under the baton of maestro Panisello and joined by soloist Viktor Čižić on piano, the audience can expect an intriguing blend of contemporary and historically inspired music—all imbued with a Spanish spirit, as the concert title suggests.
The program features works by contemporary Spanish composers Jesús Torres, Mauricio Sotelo, and Fabián Panisello himself. Alongside these powerful contemporary voices, the evening will also include a rare performance on Croatian stages of a work by one of the pillars of Spanish art music: Manuel de Falla’s Concerto for Piano and Ensemble. In this piece, soloist Viktor Čižić will interpret de Falla’s distinctive fusion of Spanish musical tradition with neoclassical aesthetics.
This evening promises a compelling encounter of passion, innovation, and heritage—a resonance of the past paired with the energy and vitality of the present. As always, Cantus Ensemble ensures the interpretive standard necessary for a top-quality listening experience.
Fabián Panisello is an internationally acclaimed Argentine-Spanish composer and conductor, recognized for his significant contributions to contemporary music. He is the founder and artistic director of the Plural Ensemble, regarded as one of Europe’s leading contemporary music groups.
Panisello is a professor of composition at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Spain and a visiting professor at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing since 2018. He previously taught musical analysis (1996–2000) and later served as academic director at both the Reina Sofía School and the Instituto Internacional de Música de Cámara de Madrid from 1996 to 2013, eventually becoming director of both institutions (2014–2019).
He has been a resident composer and masterclass lecturer at festivals and institutions across the globe: Graz, Munich, New York, Buenos Aires, Davis (CA), Shanghai, Nanning, Beijing, Bogotá, Mexico, Leuk (Switzerland), Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Budapest.
Panisello has collaborated and performed with numerous renowned musicians, including Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Susanna Mälkki, and Peter Eötvös, and with orchestras and ensembles such as the SWR Symphonieorchester, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon, Ensemble Modern, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Israel Contemporary Players, and Meitar Ensemble.
