Al Ayre Español is a vocal and instrumental ensemble

Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 specialized on early music

Early music

Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...

 founded in 1988 by Eduardo López Banzo

Eduardo López Banzo

Eduardo López Banzo is a Spanish harpsichordist and conductor of baroque music.Banzo was born in Zaragoza Spain. He studied harpsichord with Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam....

 (harpsichordist

Harpsichordist

A harpsichordist is a person who plays the harpsichord.Many baroque composers played the harpsichord, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, George Frideric Handel, François Couperin and Jean-Philippe Rameau...

).

The name of the ensemble was inspired by the title for a guitar Fugue of the Calanda (Aragón) composer, Gaspar Sanz. In this Fugue he indicated the musician to play with "ayre español" (in the Spanish way).

Banzo has done a great deal to restore the Spanish Baroque

Spanish Baroque

Spanish Baroque is a strand of Baroque architecture that evolved in Spain and its provinces and former colonies, notably Spanish America and Belgium....

 musical heritage and in recognition of this work, the group was awarded the Premio Nacional de Música

Premio Nacional de Música

The Premio Nacional de Música forms part of the annual National Awards in Spain....

 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. In 2004, Al Ayre Español became an orchestra, broadening out their repertory to encompass much of the European Baroque.

Discography

• 1994 - Barroco Español - Vol. I: "Mas no puede ser". Villancicos. Cantatas et al. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77325 2
• 1995 - Barroco Español - Vol. II: "Ay Amor". Zarzuelas. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77336 2
• 1997 - Barroco Español - Vol. III: "Quando muere el sol". Música penitencial en la Capilla Real de Madrid. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77376 2
• 1998 - Antonio de Literes
  Antonio de Literes
  Antonio de Literes was a Spanish composer of zarzuelas, a type of performance that mixes spoken word, song and dance...
  
  : Los Elementos. Ópera armónica al estilo italiano. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77385 2
• 1999 - J. de Torres: Cantadas. Spanish Solo Cantatas (18th century). Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77503 2
• 1999 - Quarenta horas. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 74321 72619 2
• 2001 - Antonio de Literes: Acis y Galatea. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77522 2
• 2001 - José de Nebra: Miserere. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 05472 77532 2
• 2003 - Antonio de Literes: Júpiter y Semele. Júpiter y Semele o El estrago en la fineza. Harmonia Mundi Ibérica 987036.37 (2 CDs)
• 2004 - A Batallar Estrellas. Música de las Catedrales españolas del s. XVII. Harmonia Mundi Ibérica 987053
• 2005 - La Cantada Española en América. Harmonia Mundi Ibérica 987064
• 2006 - José de Nebra: Arias de Zarzuelas. Harmonia Mundi Ibérica 987069
• 2007 - Handel
  George Frideric Handel
  George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
  
  : Amadigi di Gaula
  Amadigi di Gaula
  Amadigi di Gaula is a magical opera in three acts, with music by George Frideric Handel. It was the fifth Italian opera that Handel wrote for London and was composed during his stay at Burlington House in 1715...
  
  , opera. Ambroisie AM 133
• 2008 - Handel: Rodrigo
  Rodrigo (opera)
  Rodrigo is an opera in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel. Its original title was Vincer se stesso è la maggior vittoria . The opera is based on the historical figure of Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king of Hispania...
  
  , opera. Ambroisie AM 132
• 2011 - José de Nebra: Esta dulzura amable. Sacred Cantatas.

External links

• A.A.E's website: http://www.alayreespanol.com
• Goldberg: http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/orchestras/19182.php
• Harmonia Mundi
• Interview of Eduardo López Banzo on www.odb-opera.com