Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) is involved in the release of the CD Las 3 sinfonías de Tomás Bretón (The 3 Symphonies of Tomás Bretón) , a revival of this trio of works written by the Salamanca-born maestro between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, establishing him as one of the most representative composers of Spanish Romanticism.
The release of the CD Las 3 sinfonías de Tomás Bretón marks the culmination of the venture to restore these works by the composer, which had been neglected in the Spanish repertoire for over a century. The Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales (ICCMU) was initially behind the restoration of this unknown part of Spanish musical heritage. Ramón Sobrino worked on revising and examining Bretón's sheet music held in the Fondo Tomás Bretón collection at the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library of Spain) (symphonies 1 and 3) and in the library of the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid (symphony 2). The critical edition also employ copies and particellas from the archive of the Sociedad de Conciertos de Madrid AC/E and the Comunidad de Madrid (Regional Government of Madrid) also joined forces in the release on the Versolabel of these three symphonies, with the twofold aim of discovering or rediscovering Bretón's legacy and making it accessible both to the general public and the organisers of musical programmes both in Spain and abroad.
The Consejería de Cultura y Turismo de la Junta de Castilla y León (Department of Culture and Tourism of the Regional Government of Castile-Leon) offered decisive support in restoring this musical heritage by offering the bodies behind the project the services of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, with an established professional career dating back over twenty years, along with the Symphonic Hall of the Auditorio Miguel Delibes for the recording sessions, which took place in September and November 2011 under the baton of José Luis Temes.
The pack which has now been released includes, in addition to the three Bretón symphonies on two CDs, a bilingual pamphlet (Spanish/English) detailing the professional careers of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and of José Luis Temes, along with an extensive article by the conductor about the restored symphonies.