The musician Ignacio Arakistain Agirre (Azpeitia, 1998) has just received the Orfeón Donostiarra-Musikene award for his final year project Valentin Larrea Iturbe (1876-1970) on the road to the recovery of the work and life of the musician, carried out after finishing with the best grade his higher organ studies at the Higher Music Center of the Basque Country.
In this work, Arakistain analyzes the life and work of Valentin Larrea, a musician from Gabiria who later moved to Pamplona, spurred on by the work that Larrea’s family is carrying out to recover his compositions. “I have been able to build the until now vague biographical puzzle of Valentin Larrea, and, in relation to my instrument, analyze the characteristic features of his pieces for organ”, explains Arakistain.
We wanted to talk to him.
Congratulations on the award, Ignacio. in what mood it you have received?
I have received the VI Orfeón Donostiarra-Musikene Award as a recognition and an honor. All the students who study a degree at Musikene have to do a research project to finish their studies. In my case, once I left aside the topics about the instrument and the repertoire, I have tried to recover the Basque musical heritage, analyzing the life and work of the musician from Gabiri, Valentin Larrea Iturbe (1876-1970).
As long as I am a musician and a Basque, I feel a strong commitment to recovering and disseminating the work of the creators and artists of our past, so receiving the award from these two institutions, which should be fundamental in the Basque cultural ecosystem, It has filled me with joy and I take it as a push to continue investigating.
What put you on the trail of Valentin Larrea?
At first, I also thought to investigate something related to my instrument. I am an organist as well as a pianist, but one day I received a message from the musician from San Sebastian, Esteban Elizondo, in which he forwarded me a message from two women. As it could be read, these two women (Elena and Maite Berazadi Larrea) were the granddaughters of a certain Valentin Larrea, and they wanted to shed some light on the piano music written by their grandfather and give continuity to a project launched in 2019.
Elizondo thought that the project might interest me, and that is how I contacted Larrea’s relatives for the first time. In a meeting, during a winter afternoon in 2020, it became clear to me that my work had to be related to his grandfather. I was totally convinced by the illusion and the desire to carry out the recovery work that I saw in the eyes of both granddaughters.
After leaving that meeting, as soon as I got home, I wanted to put the Valentin scores that Elena and Maite left me on the piano stand and listen to what that reflected in black ink on the paper sounded like. From the first moment, it seemed to me attractive and select music.
How has the documentation work been?
I have had different strategies and sources of information during this work. On the one hand, the newspaper archives and historical archives have been essential to me. The news and press clippings of the time, especially the newspaper The Echo of Navarre, I have been taught that Valentin Larrea taught classes at his house on Chapitela street.
On the other hand, the family has totally supported me. They have put on the table all their memories, documents or anything that could be useful, everything they had at home: medals, diplomas, photos, scores…
Finally, I have also conducted some interviews, for example, with Itxaso Aristizabal from Irun, who has performed several piano concertos composed by Larrea.
How would you define the music composed by Larrea?
Valentin Larrea’s catalog contains around one hundred works. He wrote for different instruments (piano, organ, txistu…) and also for string orchestras and txistu bands. There is still a lot of work to do to spread his work.
Larrea’s music corresponds to its time. The music of this artist who studied in Madrid can be placed in the nationalist current of the late nineteenth century: heartfelt and sweet melodies, new adaptations of popular melodies, romantic harmony…
It is a music with different characteristics, which I think is worth it since it offers us a broad vision of its time. At the age of 88 he was still composing; there is no doubt that he was a born worker.
Ignacio Arakistain
Why do you think it has not received the recognition it deserved?
It is very difficult to overcome the filter of history. Only the greatest have the power to despise time. Bach, Mozart or Mahler are some of the few immortal masters. In addition to them, the passing of the years has swallowed up hundreds of great musicians and artists.
If someone does not take care of all the heritage, it shrinks and dwindles. We live in the age of the moment, and, while what is current is already out of fashion, we live waiting for the next novelty and thinking about when and how we will deny it until it disappears. It’s sad, but society has no respect for the past.
After finishing your studies at Musikene you will go to Vienna to study for a master’s degree. What is it about? What are you looking for in the Austrian city?
I will be in Vienna for two years. I will study the master’s degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts, an important local institution, together with Professor Pier Damiano Peretti.
I was there in June, and I loved the city and the love for music that is breathed in it. Living in Austria seems like a great opportunity to me: being able to listen to local orchestras, meet musicians from different countries and mentalities, be able to continue expanding my musical studies… I’m really looking forward to it, really.
Beyond studies, do you have any other musical project on your hands?
I have always been quite a salsero, and I have not stopped participating in the cultural life of Azpeitia.
During these last years I have developed close collaborations with different musicians and musicians, such as the accordionist Garazi Navas and the txistulari Peio Irigoyen. Some recordings made together with the latter in December in Deba and Azkoitia are about to be published.
I am going to Vienna, but I will not disappear 100%. I would like to continue offering concerts in Euskal Herria and work with other cultural agents. Let’s see if it is so.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
