Pablo Barragán
“This evening it was Pablo Barragán who had you under his spell. In addition to his
perfect performance style in all respects, it was precisely his soulful tone that kept you holding your breath in suspense.”(Westdeutsche Zeitung)
The clarinetist Pablo Barragán is recognized for his refined sound paired with a high skill
of craftsmanship, stage charisma/passion and boundless curiosity for the programming of
his performances. Born in Andalusia, Barragán, who has chosen to live in Berlin, attaches
great importance to the interaction between musicians and feels that artistic symbiosis is
the ideal state of music-making. This state of very intuitive music making combined with
his eagerness to deliver at the highest level is what makes his performances with well-
known orchestras and chamber music partner unique and a radiant experience for the
audience.
Over the years he has accumulated an extensive list of collaborations, such as with the Brucknerhaus Orchestra Linz, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Baden-
Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moravska Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hamburg
Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonieorchester Basel, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio
Televisión Española, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra with conductors such as Anja
Bihlmaier, Thomas Dausgaard, Daniel Raiskin, Heiko Matthias Förster, Christoph Poppen
and Zsolt Hamar among many others.
His engagements in chamber music- festivals and venues include invitations to the
the Rheingau Music Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling, the Lucerne Festival, Classiche
Form, the Festival Internacional de Cartagena, the Martha Argerich Festival, the Wigmore
Hall London and Tonhalle Zurich. As such, Pablo is humbled to collaborate with fabulous
musical partners such as Liza Ferschtmann, Elena Bashkirova, Beatrice Rana, Kian Soltani,
Emmanuel Pahud, Alexei Stadler, Modigliani Quartet, Schumann Quartet, Andrei Ionita,
Akiko Suwanai and many more.
The 2023/24 season brings solo appearances with orchestras such as the Franz Liszt
Chamber Orchestra in Neumarkt, featuring the chamber concerto by Karl Amadeus
Hartmann as led by cellist István Várdai, the Brasov Philharmonic under the direction of
Paul Meyer, and the Bursa Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Adrian Prabava
among others. He has been invited to open the season for the Cordoba Symphony
Orchestra with two performances of the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto under the direction of
Alvaro Albiach.
One his top priorities is a trio collaboration with the violinist Noa Wildschut and the
pianist Frank Dupree. In the current season, extending into summer 2024, they will be
performing at distinguished venues, including the Dortmund Konzerthaus and the
Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, among others. The performances are related to a
recording to be released in 24/25, featuring works by Paul Schoenfield, Béla Bartók and
Ernest Bloch.
Further concerts with the Sitkovetsky Trio will bring him to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg,
the Cologne Philharmonie, as well as Verona and Padova, and with the Cremona Quartett
in Florence. Other performance invitations include the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival,
the Ohrid Festival in North Macedonia, the Kaposfest in Hungary, the Beethovenfest in
Bonn, Festival Monteleón in Spanish León, as well as Música Musika in Bilbao. Together
with Noa Wildschut and Amadeus Wiesensee he will be part of an extensive Tour through
Ireland hosted by the Music Network Ireland, and with Elena Bashkirova and the
Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival Ensemble in South America.
Pablo Barragán was trained at the Seville Conservatory with Antonio Salguero and with
Matthias Glander at the Fundación Barenboim-Said in Seville. For many years, since 2007,
he also gained valuable experience as a member of Maestro Daniel Barenboim’s West-
Eastern Divan Orchestra. In 2011 he won the 1st Prize Juventudes Musicales de España
and the European Music Competition for Youth, in 2012 was awarded special price at the
ARD Music Competition, and in 2013 won the Prix Crédit Suisse Jeunes Solistes. Many
inspiring encounters at master classes, such as with Martin Fröst, Charles Neidich and
Dimitri Ashkenazy, have shaped and strengthened his artistic personality. For this reason,
he has been keen to pass on his own knowledge and skills to the younger generation
since 2020 as a Professor at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Seville and at master classes
such as Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid.
The recent release of his album BOUNDLESS, together with Sophie Pacini, offers a true
insight into Pablo’s curiosity and eagerness to create, on this album he has united the
diverse sound universes of Weinberg, Bernstein Prokofiev and Poulenc clarinet sonatas for
the music label, Aparté. The album has been praised by international critics and offers a
fresh insight into the vast possibilities the clarinet has on offer.