Odón Alonso

Alonso Ordás, Odón. La Bañeza (León), January 28, 1925 – Madrid, February 21, 2011. Choir and orchestra conductor.

Odón Alonso immersed himself in music under the guidance of his father, a choir and orchestra conductor, in his hometown. He later pursued his musical studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, receiving the End of Career Award and the Extraordinary Award in Piano and Chamber Music. He furthered his training in Siena, Salzburg, and Vienna.

His early musical career was as a concert pianist, but in 1950, he took charge of directing the Chamber Choir of National Radio of Spain, and in 1952, the orchestra of the same institution, where he stayed until 1956. Three years earlier, he was appointed the titular conductor of the Solistas de Madrid Orchestra, specializing in baroque music. In the 1956/1957 season, he served as the musical director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, coinciding with its official reopening.

In 1960, he became the conductor of the Madrid Philharmonic Orchestra, where he premiered numerous works, from Monteverdi and Pergolesi to Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Schoenberg, or Messiaen. From 1968 to 1984, he conducted the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Television Española (RTVE), regularly featuring contemporary repertoire. Between 1986 and 1992, he was the conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the Casals Festival, a position he alternated with the titular role in the Classical Orchestra of Madrid from 1989. His role as a promoter of musical life continued with the creation of the Soriano Musical Autumn in 1993, promoting the premiere of contemporary Spanish works linked to Soriano themes each year. Two years later, he was appointed conductor of the Malaga City Orchestra, a position he held alongside leading other international and national orchestras, including the National Orchestra of Spain.

He received numerous honors, such as the Order of Cisneros (1964), being named Best Spanish Conductor by Records World magazine (1976), the Encomienda de número de Isabel la Católica (1989), the Artistic and Cultural Merit Medal from the Complutense University of Madrid (1995), the Larios Award (1998), or the Musical Interpretation Award from the CEOE Foundation (1999). He was also an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters awarded by the French government and an adopted son of Puerto Rico. He held the Gold Medal of UNICEF.

Throughout his career, Odón Alonso received several tributes, the most recent in 2004 organized by the General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE), which awarded him its Medal of Honor, and in 2005 within the Soriano Musical Autumn. Furthermore, he held the chair of Opera and Oratorio at the Higher School of Singing in Madrid.

In his significant role in promoting Spanish music, Odón Alonso premiered numerous works by Spanish composers, including Ángel Arteaga, Claudio Prieto, Ernesto Halffter, Rodolfo Halffter, Oscar Esplá, Fernando Remacha, Manuel Angulo, Gabriel Fernández Álvez, Joaquín Rodrigo, Xavier Montsalvatge, Manuel Castillo, Carmelo Bernaola, Tomás Marco, Conrado del Campo, Federico Moreno Torroba, or Manuel de Falla.

He passed away in the early hours of Monday, February 21, 2011, in a Madrid clinic, and was buried in Soria, as per his explicit wish.

Source: Real Academia de la Historia