Luque
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport at Luque
Luque
Coordinates: 25°16′12″S 57°29′14″W / 25.27°S 57.48722°W / -25.27; -57.48722Coordinates: 25°16′12″S 57°29′14″W / 25.27°S 57.48722°W / -25.27; -57.48722
Area
• Total	188.43 km2 (72.75 sq mi)
Elevation	120 m (390 ft)
Population (2002)
• Total	176,433

CONMEBOL Headquarters

Luque is a city in Central Department, Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. It was the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War. It is located at around 25°16′12″S 57°29′14″W / 25.27°S 57.48722°W / -25.27; -57.48722. It is one of the most important cities in the metropolitan area, it is the location of the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, most important airport in the country, and the headquarters of CONMEBOL.^[1][2][3] When it existed, ARPA – Aerolíneas Paraguayas had its headquarters in the ARPA Terminal on the grounds of the airport.^[4]

It is the birthplace of José Luis Chilavert, a Paraguayan soccer (football) player.^[5][6]

It is a center of production of Guitars and Paraguayan harps as well as Filigranas, gold and silver filigree jewelry including the seven-band ring Carretón de Siete Ramales.

See also[link]

• Ñu Guasú Park
• Silvio Pettirossi International Airport

References[link]

v t e Districts in the Central Department Areguá · Capiatá · Fernando de la Mora · Guarambaré · Itá · Itauguá · Juan Augusto Saldívar · Lambaré · Limpio · Luque · Mariano Roque Alonso · Nueva Italia · Ñemby · San Antonio · San Lorenzo · Villa Elisa · Villeta · Ypacaraí · Ypané

This Paraguay location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Yuriorkis Gamboa
Gamboa in 2011
Statistics
Real name	Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano
Nickname(s)	El Ciclon de Guantánamo
Rated at	Featherweight
Height	5 ft 5 1⁄2 in (1.66 m)
Nationality	Cuban
Born	(1981-12-23) December 23, 1981 (age 30) Guantánamo
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	21
Wins	21
Wins by KO	16
Losses	0
Draws	0

Amateur medal record
Men's Boxing
Competitor for  Cuba
Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens	Flyweight
World Amateur Championships
Bronze	2005 Mianyang	Featherweight
Pan American Games
Gold	2003 Santo Domingo	Flyweight
Central American and Caribbean Games
Bronze	2006 Cartagena	Featherweight
World Cup
Silver	2005 Moscow	Featherweight

Yuriorkis Gamboa Toledano (born December 23, 1981) is a Cuban professional boxer who, as an amateur boxer, won an Olympic gold medal in the flyweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the former WBA and IBF Featherweight Champion, being stripped of both titles. Gamboa's younger brother is fellow professional boxer Yoelvis Gamboa.

Amateur highlights[link]

• Four-time Cuban national champion
• 2003 Pan American Games gold medalist
• 2004 Olympic gold medalists
• 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships bronze medalist
• 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalist
• 2006 World Cup champion

Gamboa's 2004 Olympic Boxing results were:^[1]

• Round of 32 - Defeated Igor Samoilenco of Moldava – PTS (46-33)
• Round of 16 - Defeated Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand – PTS (26-21)
• Quarterfinals - Defeated Georgy Balakshin of Russia – PTS (26-18)
• Semifinals - Defeated Rustamhodza Rahimov of Germany – PTS (20-11)
• Gold Medal Match - Defeated Jérôme Thomas of France – PTS (38-23)

Defection[link]

While training in Venezuela, Gamboa, along with Cuban teammates Odlanier Solis and Yan Barthelemy, snuck out of camp and found their way to Colombia and eventually to Germany, where they applied for visas to enter the United States.^[2] Before defecting, he had sold his Olympic gold medal to support his family.^[3]

Professional career[link]

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (September 2010)

Debut in Germany[link]

Gamboa made his professional boxing debut on April 27, 2007, in Hamburg, Germany against Alexan Manvelyan. He prepared for his pro debut and his next seven fights with technical specialist Manny Masson. Gamboa put Manvelyan on the canvas in the third round and won via a unanimous decision victory. Two months later, he defeated Araik Sachbazjan by fourth round technical knockout.

Debut in the USA[link]

After winning his first four fights in Germany, Gamboa made his United States debut on October 30, 2007, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, against Adailton De Jesus. De Jesus was dropped to the canvas halfway through the first round. A Gamboa slip in the fourth round was ruled a knockdown by the referee. Gamboa's relentless pressure eventually forced a stoppage in the sixth and final round.^[4]

Gamboa fought Gilberto Luque on January 5, 2008, at Bally's Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gamboa sent his opponent to the canvas less than 30 seconds into first round with a left hand. After two more knockdowns, the referee stopped the fight.^[5] On February 22, 2008, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he made his American television debut against Johnnie Edwards. Gamboa knocked Edwards down in the first 30 seconds of the fight after connecting with a left hand to the head. Edwards got up, but was met with left-hand punches from Gamboa, ending with two consecutive right hands that knocked Edwards down for the second and final time as the referee moved in and halted the fight in round one. Gamoba won the vacant NABF super featherweight title.^[6]

On May 17, 2008, at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada, Gamboa fought Darling Jimenez. Gamboa started off well in the first three rounds of the fight, swarming Jimenez and hitting him with punches over and over. Gamboa looked flustered in the fourth round and began showing signs of fatigue. He got careless and was knocked down by a right hand behind the ear from Jimenez. Gamboa got up and finished the fight strong, winning by unanimous decision and claiming the vacant WBC International super featherweight title.^[7] After the fight, Gamboa’s promoter Ahmet Öner fired his trainer Osmiri Fernandez, replacing him with Ismeal Salas.^[8] On July 18, 2008, stepping down to featherweight, Gamboa scored a first-round technical knockout victory over Al Seeger to win the vacant WBO NABO featherweight title in a fight that took place at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada. A left hook to the body set up a right hand that landed across Seeger's face, causing him to collapse backwards flat onto the canvas. The referee stepped over Seeger without bothering to count, officially stopping the bout.^[9]

On October 5, 2008, Gamboa stepped up in class, yet again, and fought Marcos Ramirez, a Kansas City featherweight in Temecula, California. Gamboa exhibited amazing hand speed and quick combination punching in the first round before he was dropped by Ramirez. Gamboa quickly came to his feet and resumed fighting until the bell rang to signify the end of the round. In the second round, Gamboa picked up where he left off and knocked Ramirez down with a fast right uppercut, followed by another combination. Ramirez let the referee administer the eight count before rising to his feet. Gamboa then finished the fight by pressuring Ramirez into the ropes and landing a left hook to the body, followed by a right uppercut to the jaw.^[10] Gamboa's next fight took place at Buffalo Bill's Star Arena in Primm, Nevada on January 9, 2009 against Roger Gonzalez. Gamboa used quick combinations from the beginning of the third round to relentlessly attack Gonzalez. Gamboa began his assault after going down during the second round, after absorbing a sneaky right hand by Gonzalez.^{[original research?]} The referee halted the one-sided bout with 48 seconds remaining after Gonzalez sustained a barrage of punches to the head. Gamboa led 89–82 on one judge's scorecard and 89–83 on the other two judges' cards through nine rounds.^[11]

On February 20, 2009, Gamboa fought Walter Estrada at The University Center at Nova Southeastern University. Gamboa knocked out Estrada with a left hook to the body followed by a right hand to the face 25 seconds into the fight.^[12]

Featherweight[link]

On April 17, 2009 Gamboa stopped Jose Rojas via 10th-round TKO to win the Interim WBA featherweight title.^[13] On October 10, 2009 Gamboa stopped Whyber Garcia in the fourth round to win the WBA Featherweight Championship.^[14]

On January 23, 2010, at the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City, he defeated Rogers Mtagwa in two rounds. Gamboa had a very dominating first round. He buzzed Mtagwa several times from several angles and scored a knockdown in the final ten seconds with a counter hook. He continued the damage in the second round, battering Mtagwa and sending him down two more times before the fight was stopped.

On March 27, 2010 at Hamburg, Germany Gamboa dominated Argentinian boxer Jonathan Victor Barros in twelve rounds to retain the WBA featherweight title with a unanimous decision.

On September 11, 2010 Gamboa fought Orlando Salido to unify the WBA and IBF Featherweight Championships with the result being Gamboa winning by unanimous decision. Salido knocked down Gamboa in the eighth round. Gamboa knocked Salido down in the 12th round, but was docked two points for hitting Salido in the back of his head while Salido was down. With this win Gamboa became the first Cuban boxer to hold the IBF world title since the organization's inception.^[15]

On March 26, 2011 Gamboa fought Jorge Solis to defend his WBA featherweight title. Although the fight was originally agreed to set under dispute both of Gamboa's WBA and IBF featherweight titles at the moment, it was early in the day of the fight after Gamboa had missed a mandatory re-weighing procedure established by the IBF that his chance to defend it was annulled, as well as Solis's chance to claim it in case he had defeated Gamboa. The fight lasted only four rounds as Gamboa after having fought a relative conservative first round decided to control the pace of the fight sending Solis to the floor a total of five times and causing referee David Fields to stop the fight, giving Gamboa the victory by TKO just after Gamboa had connected several unanswered punches as Solis looked hurt against the ropes. After the fight, Gamboa was interviewed, a moment that Gamboa took advantage of to express his awareness and support towards the victims of Japan's latest earthquake and Tsunami. Gamboa also took the opportunity to proclaim his desire to fight higher caliber featherweight boxers such as Indonesian Chris John and Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez, who was attending the fight as a spectator and decided to come up to the ring and proclaim his desire for a possible fight with Gamboa as he also made the observation that it was a business decision to be taken by their shared promoter Bob Arum.

On September 10, 2011 Gamboa fought Daniel Ponce de León in a non-title fight at the featherweight division. Gamboa managed to connect more punches in each and every round keeping the score cards in his favor from the start. Although there were not many exchanges, Gamboa's hand speed and reflexes were on display as he connected with quick and short combinations and managed to avoid some of de León's left swings with his characteristic upper body swing move. In the eighth round, during a short exchange, Gamboa and de León accidentally clashed heads, as a result de León suffered a cut in his forehead, consequently the referee stopped the fight and asked de León's corner to check the boxer's wound. After having tried and failed to stop the bleeding it was determined by de León's team that their fighter was unable to continue in the fight.

Professional Record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Date	Result	Time	Location	Notes
Win	21-0	Daniel Ponce de León	02011-09-10September 10, 2011	TD 8 (12)		Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	20-0	Jorge Solis	02011-03-26March 26, 2011	TKO 4	1:31	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA	Retained WBA Super Featherweight title. IBF title at stake only for Solís, Gamboa loses title due to skipping mandatory reweigh-in.
Win	19-0	Orlando Salido	02010-09-11September 11, 2010	UD 12	3:00	Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA	Retained WBA (Super) and won vacant IBF Featherweight titles.
Win	18-0	Jonathan Victor Barros	02010-03-27March 27, 2010	UD 12	3:00	Hamburg, Germany	Retained WBA Featherweight title.
Win	17-0	Rogers Mtagwa	02010-01-23January 23, 2010	KO 2	2:35	New York City, New York	Retained WBA World Featherweight title.
Win	16-0	Whyber Garcia	02009-10-10October 10, 2009	TKO 4	0:58	New York City, New York	Retained WBA World Featherweight title.
Win	15-0	Jose Rojas	02009-04-17April 17, 2009	TKO 10	1:31	Primm, Nevada	Won Interim WBA Featherweight title.
Win	14-0	Walter Estrada	02009-02-20February 20, 2009	KO 1	0:35	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Win	13-0	Roger Gonzalez	02009-01-09January 9, 2009	TKO 10	2:12	Primm, Nevada
Win	12-0	Marcos Ramirez	02008-10-04October 4, 2008	KO 2	1:41	Temecula, California
Win	11-0	Al Seeger	02008-07-18July 18, 2008	TKO 1	2:30	Primm, Nevada	Won vacant WBO NABO Featherweight title.
Win	10-0	Darling Jimenez	02008-05-17May 17, 2008	UD 10	3:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey	Won vacant WBC International Super Featherweight title.
Win	9-0	Johnnie Edwards	02008-02-22February 22, 2008	TKO 1	1:34	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Won vacant NABF Super Featherweight title.
Win	8-0	Gilberto Luque	02008-01-05January 5, 2008	TKO 1	1:54	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	7-0	Adailton de Jesus	02007-10-30October 30, 2007	TKO 6	0:35	Hollywood, Florida
Win	6-0	Samuel Kebede	02007-10-19October 19, 2007	TKO 2	2:11	Berlin, Germany
Win	5-0	Nestor Hugo Paniagua	02007-09-21September 21, 2007	KO 1	1:05	Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Win	4-0	Thomas Hengstberger	02007-09-02September 2, 2007	TKO 1	1:04	Berlin, Germany
Win	3-0	Joel Mayo	02007-07-06July 6, 2007	TKO 2	0:35	Hamburg, Germany
Win	2-0	Araik Sachbazjan	02007-06-16June 16, 2007	TKO 3	-	Ankara, Turkey
Win	1-0	Alexan Manvelyan	02007-04-27April 27, 2007	UD 4	3:00	Hamburg, Germany

Trainers[link]

On October 26, 2011, Gamboa hired world-famous Emanuel Steward as his head trainer.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Yuriorkis Gamboa's Official Site
• Amateur record
• Professional boxing record for Yuriorkis Gamboa from BoxRec

Marco Luque
Born	(1974-04-08) April 8, 1974 (age 38) Ivaiporã, Paraná, Brazil
Occupation	actor, humorist, announcer

Marcos "Marco" Luque Martins (born April 8, 1974) is a Brazilian humorist, well known for his performances as a stand-up comedian and as one of the hosts of the Brazilian version for the Argentinian TV program CQC - Caiga Quien Caiga - (Spanish for Whoever might fall), in Portuguese, Custe o que Custar^[1] (Whatever it takes).

References[link]

This Brazilian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Albert Luque

Personal information
Full name	Albert Luque Martos
Date of birth	(1978-03-11) 11 March 1978 (age 34)
Place of birth	Terrassa, Spain
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Striker / Winger
Youth career
1991–1997	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1997–1999	Mallorca B	62	(25)
1998–2002	Mallorca	67	(24)
1999–2000	→ Málaga (loan)	23	(3)
2002–2005	Deportivo La Coruña	101	(26)
2005–2007	Newcastle	21	(1)
2007–2009	Ajax	16	(4)
2008–2009	→ Málaga (loan)	32	(8)
2009–2011	Málaga	19	(1)
Total		340	(92)
National team
1998–2000	Spain U21	13	(3)
2000	Spain U23	2	(0)
2002–2005	Spain	18	(2)
Honours Competitor for  Spain Men's Football Silver 2000 Sydney Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Albert Luque Martos (born 11 March 1978) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left winger or striker.

His 14-year professional career was mainly associated with Mallorca and Deportivo, and he amassed La Liga totals of 245 games and 61 goals over the course of nine seasons. He also had unassuming spells in England and the Netherlands.

A Spanish international in the first half of the 2000s, Luque represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Club career[link]

Mallorca[link]

Born in Terrassa, Barcelona, Catalonia, Luque was a lifelong supporter of FC Barcelona, and started out in football on trial with them, but was released by the C team when he was still not aged 20. He was then taken by RCD Mallorca, and immediately sent to its B side, but eventually broke into the first team after a successful loan spell at Málaga CF.

In 2000–01, he scored nine goals for Mallorca, helping the Balearic Islands side qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history, after finishing third. Luque's extra time goal in the qualifying round against HNK Hajduk Split carried Mallorca into the first group stage.

Deportivo La Coruña[link]

He was transferred to Deportivo de La Coruña in 2002, in a deal worth €15 million (approximately £10 million), for strikers José "Turu" Flores and Walter Pandiani (on loan). In his first season at Depor, Luque scored the winning goal against former club Málaga with a bicycle kick, adding another La Liga winners against Athletic Bilbao, Racing de Santander and RCD Espanyol. He scored a total of 12 goals in that season, mostly from substitute appearances.

The 2003–04 season saw Luque's firm establishment as a Deportivo starter, as he scored the winner against Rosenborg B.K. in the Champions League qualifying round, the only goal in both legs. He also netted important goals in the competition against PSV Eindhoven, Juventus F.C. and A.C. Milan, adding 11 in his final season in Galicia.

Newcastle United[link]

In August 2005, Luque was sold to Newcastle United for a fee of €14 million (£9.5), signing a five-year contract. He made his debut against Manchester United at St James' Park, which included having a goal ruled out for offside. However, in his next game, he suffered a hamstring injury while playing against Fulham. Upon return from injury, he was used in a number of roles, including left midfielder, failing to live up to his large price tag.

On 17 April 2006, Luque scored his first goal for Newcastle in the Tyne–Wear derby, when he broke free from the Sunderland defence and calmly chipped goalkeeper Kelvin Davis.^[1] He commented after the game that he hoped to score before the end of the season, and thanked the team's physio for bringing him back to full fitness after injury; he played no part in Newcastle's remaining fixtures, however.

Luque's first competitive home goal came against Lillestrom S.K. at the start of Newcastle's UEFA Intertoto Cup tournament.^[2] He added two against Liverpool's reserves in a 4–1 success in October. After having fallen low in the side's offensive pecking order, a number of injuries awarded him a start against Serie A table-toppers U.S. Città di Palermo on 2 November, in the UEFA Cup, and rewarded manager Glenn Roeder's choice scoring the game's only goal with a header.^[3] Since then, however, the player had few significant first-team appearances, by now behind the likes of Matty Pattison, a reserve/first team fringe player. In the January 2007 transfer window, he was even linked with a loan move to PSV, but the deal fell through, reportedly due to high wage demands.^[4]

On 23 June 2007, new Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce revealed that he would be willing to give Luque a proper chance to impress. However, this did not prevent him from awarding Luque's number 7 shirt to new signing Joey Barton, which initially left the Spaniard without a squad number.^[5] He was eventually given the number 19 jersey, previously worn at Deportivo, and used in Newcastle by defender Titus Bramble.

His transfer from Deportivo to Newcastle is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns:

"There remains inconsistencies in evidence provided by Graeme Souness - a former manager of the club"

"The inquiry still has unanswered questions relating to possible payments made by agent Francis Martin, who Newcastle officials believed was working for the selling club."^[6] At the end of the next month, AFC Ajax agreed a fee to sign Luque.^[7]

Ajax[link]

On 25 August 2007, Ajax confirmed they had signed Luque until 2010.^[8] On 30 September, he scored his first two goals for the Amsterdam outfit, turning the scoresheet in two minutes against VVV-Venlo in an eventual 6–1 home win, but coming out injured slightly afterwards.^[9]

He was fined after a game against Feyenoord in November 2007 for a half-time altercation in the changing rooms with teammate Luis Suárez, which caused manager Adrie Koster to substitute them both before the second half.^[10] It was reported on 14 July 2008 that Luque had no future at Ajax. Technical director Danny Blind told Sportweek: "Ajax has told Luque that he has to leave the club. I told Albert myself that we don't want to go on with him and if I've told it to him I really don't know who else I should inform."

Return to Málaga[link]

Just before the 1 September transfer deadline of the 2008–09 season, Luque signed a one-year loan deal with Málaga, returning to the Andalusia outfit nine years later.^[11] On 30 November 2008, he came from the bench to open his scoring account for the club in his second spell, in a 4–2 home win over CA Osasuna,^[12] and was a crucial offensive element as the club fought for UEFA Cup qualification until the final days of the season.

On 30 July 2009, after lengthy negotiations, Málaga signed Luque from Ajax, on a free transfer.^[13] Under new coach Juan Ramón López Muñiz Luque played mainly from the bench and scored only once in the first half of the season, being then dropped out for almost one month; upon his return to first-team action, he replaced Duda in the 84th minute of a 3–0 win at Racing Santander.

In 2010–11, Luque continued absent from Málaga's lineups, both under Jesualdo Ferreira and his successor Manuel Pellegrini. In December 2010, he was deemed surplus to requirements, alongside five other players, being definitely released on 4 January 2011.^[14]

International career[link]

Luque represented Spain at the 2000 Summer Olympics, playing twice as the national team won silver in Sydney. After a successful season at Mallorca, still uncapped for the senior team, he was called-up to the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, making his international debut in a 3–2 group stage win against South Africa on 12 June 2002, and also appeared in the round of 16 success against Republic of Ireland.

Two years later he played at UEFA Euro 2004, in the 0–1 defeat to hosts Portugal, being used as a left winger in the match. His last game was on 7 September 2005, in a 2006 World Cup qualifier against Serbia and Montenegro.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 October 2004	Estadio El Sardinero, Santander, Spain	Belgium	1–0	2–0	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	4 June 2005	Estadio Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	Lithuania	1–0	1–0	2006 World Cup qualification

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Deportivo

• Supercopa de España: 2002

Newcastle

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006

Country[link]

Spain U23

• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 2000

References[link]

External links[link]

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Albert Luque career stats at Soccerbase
• Albert Luque at National-Football-Teams.com
• Albert Luque – FIFA competition record
• Transfermarkt profile
• Real Mallorca bio (Spanish)
• Málaga CF profile (Spanish)

Spain squads v t e Spain squad – 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Third Place 1 Aranzubia 2 Lacruz 3 Capdevila 4 Amaya 5 Marchena 6 Ismael 7 Angulo 8 Gabri 9 José Mari 10 Xavi 11 Farinós 12 Puyol 13 Láinez 14 Dorado 15 Albelda 16 Tamudo 17 Velamazán 18 Ferrón 19 Luque 20 Ania 21 Felip Coach: Sáez v t e Spain squad – 2000 Summer Olympics Silver Medalists 1 Aranzubia 2 Lacruz 3 Capdevila 4 Marchena 5 Unai 6 Albelda 7 Angulo 8 Xavi 9 José Mari 10 Gabri 11 Ferrón 12 Puyol 13 Luque 14 Amaya 15 Ismael 16 Velamazán 17 Tamudo 18 Felip Coach: Sáez v t e Spain squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Casillas 2 C. Torres 3 Juanfran 4 Helguera 5 Puyol 6 Hierro (c) 7 Raúl 8 Baraja 9 Morientes 10 Tristán 11 De Pedro 12 Luque 13 Ricardo 14 Albelda 15 Romero 16 Mendieta 17 Valerón 18 Sergio 19 Xavi 20 Nadal 21 Luis Enrique 22 Joaquín 23 Contreras Coach: Camacho v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2004 1 Cañizares 2 Capdevila 3 Marchena 4 Albelda 5 Puyol 6 Helguera 7 Raúl (c) 8 Baraja 9 F. Torres 10 Morientes 11 Luque 12 Gabri 13 Aranzubia 14 Vicente 15 Bravo 16 Alonso 17 Etxeberria 18 César 19 Joaquín 20 Xavi 21 Valerón 22 Juanito 23 Casillas Coach: Sáez

Isaac Albéniz at the piano, 1901

Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (Spanish pronunciation: [iˈsak alˈβeniθ]) (29 May 1860, Camprodon – 18 May 1909, Cambo-les-Bains) was a Spanish pianist and composer best known for his piano works based on folk music idioms. However, many of his works have been transcribed by Miguel Llobet and others for guitar, and many of his pieces such as Asturias (Leyenda), Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, Cordoba, Cataluña, and the Tango in D are amongst the most important pieces for classical guitar.

Life[link]

Albéniz with his daughter, Laura

Born in Camprodon, province of Girona, to Ángel Albéniz (a customs official) and his wife Dolors Pascual, Albéniz was a child prodigy who first performed at the age of four. At age seven, after apparently taking lessons from Antoine François Marmontel, he passed the entrance examination for piano at the Paris Conservatoire, but he was refused admission because he was believed to be too young.^[1]

His concert career began at the young age of nine when his father toured both Isaac and his sister, Clementina, throughout northern Spain. By the time he had reached 12, he had made many attempts to run away from home. A popular myth is that at the age of 12 Albéniz stowed away in a ship bound for Buenos Aires. He then made his way via Cuba to the United States, giving concerts in New York and San Francisco and then travelled to Liverpool, London and Leipzig.^[2] By age 15, he had already given concerts worldwide. This over-dramatized story is not entirely true. Albéniz did travel the world as a performer, however he was accompanied by his father. As a customs agent he was required to travel frequently. After a juxtaposition of Isaac's concert dates, on his alleged adventure, and his father's travel itinerary it is apparent that they were traveling together. After a short stay at the Leipzig Conservatory, in 1876 he went to study at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels after King Alonso's personal secretary, Guillermo Morphy obtained him a royal grant.^[3] Count Morphy was highly praising of Albéniz, and Albéniz would later dedicate Sevilla to Morphy's wife when he premiered it in Paris in January 1886.^[3] In 1880, he went to Budapest to study with Franz Liszt, only to find out that Liszt was in Weimar, Germany.

In 1883, he met the teacher and composer Felip Pedrell, who inspired him to write Spanish music such as the Chants d'Espagne. The first movement (Prelude) of that suite, later retitled after the composer's death as Asturias (Leyenda), is probably most famous today as part of the classical guitar repertoire, even though it was originally composed for piano and only later transcribed. (Many of Albéniz's other compositions were also transcribed for guitar, notably by Francisco Tárrega). At the 1888 Universal Exposition in Barcelona, the piano manufacturer Erard sponsored a series of 20 concerts featuring Albéniz's music.^[1]

The apex of his concert career is considered to be 1889 to 1892 when he had concert tours throughout Europe. During the 1890s Albéniz lived in London and Paris. For London he wrote some musical comedies which brought him to the attention of the wealthy Francis Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer. Money-Coutts commissioned and provided him with librettos for the opera Henry Clifford and for a projected trilogy of Arthurian operas. The first of these, Merlin (1898–1902) was thought to have been lost, but has recently been reconstructed and performed;.^[4] Albéniz never completed Lancelot (only the first act is finished, as a vocal and piano score), and he never began Guinevere, the final part.^[5]

In 1900 he started to suffer from Bright's disease and returned to writing piano music. Between 1905 and 1908 he composed his final masterpiece, Iberia (1908), a suite of twelve piano "impressions".

In 1883, the composer married his student Rosina Jordana. They had three children, Blanca (who died in 1886), Laura (a painter), and Alfonso (who played for Real Madrid in the early 1900s before embarking on a career as a diplomat). Two other children died in infancy.

Albéniz died on 18 May 1909 at age 48 in Cambo-les-Bains of Bright's disease, and is buried at the Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona.

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, former mayor of Madrid, and Cécilia Attias, the former wife of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, are two of Isaac Albéniz's great-grandchildren.

Work[link]

Early works[link]

Albéniz's early works were mostly “salon style” music. Albéniz's first published composition, Marcha Militar, appeared in 1868 -a number of works written before this are now lost.^[6] He continued composing in traditional styles ranging from Rameau, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt until the mid-1880s. He also wrote at least five zarzuelas, of which all but two are now lost.

Middle period – Spanish influences[link]

During the late 1880s, the strong influence of Spanish style is evident in Albéniz's music. In 1883 Isaac Albéniz met the teacher and composer Felipe Pedrell. Pedrell was a leading figure in the development of nationalist Spanish music. Gilbert Chase, in his book The Music of Spain, describes Pedrell’s influence on Albéniz: “What Albéniz derived from Pedrell was above all a spiritual orientation, the realization of the wonderful values inherent in Spanish music"^{[page needed]}. Felipe Pedrell inspired Isaac Albéniz to write Spanish music such as the Suite española, Op. 47 noted for its delicate, intricate melody and abrupt dynamic changes.

In addition to the Spanish spirit infused in Albéniz’s music, he incorporated other qualities as well. In Pola Baytleman’s biography on Albéniz, she discerns four characteristics of the music from the middle period as follows:

“1. The dance rhythms of Spain, of which there are a wide variety. 2. The use of cante jondo, which means deep or profound singing. It is the most serious and moving variety of flamenco or Spanish gypsy song, often dealing with themes of death, anguish, or religion. 3. The use of exotic scales also associated with flamenco music. The Phrygian mode is the most prominent in Albéniz’s music, although he also used the Aeolian and Mixolydian modes as well as the whole-tone scale. 4. The transfer of guitar idioms into piano writing".^{[page needed]}

Following his marriage Albéniz settled in Madrid and produced a quantity of music in a relatively short period.By 1886 he had written over 50 piano pieces.^[7] The Albéniz biographer, Walter A. Clark, says that pieces of this period received enthusiastic reception in the composer's many concerts. Chase describes music from this period,

“Taking the guitar as his instrumental model, and drawing his inspiration largely from the peculiar traits of Andalusian folk music – but without using actual folk themes – Albéniz achieves a stylization of Spanish traditional idioms that while thoroughly artistic, gives a captivating impression of spontaneous improvisation... Cordoba is the piece that best represents the style of Albéniz in this period, with its hauntingly beautiful melody, set against the acrid dissonances of the plucked accompaniment imitating the notes of the Moorish guslas. Here is the heady scent of jasmines amid the swaying palm tress, the dream fantasy of an Andalusian “Arabian Nights” in which Albéniz loved to let his imagination dwell.^{[page needed]}”

Later period[link]

While Albéniz's crowning achievement, Iberia, was written in the last years of his life in France, many of its preceding works are well-known and of great interest. The five pieces in Chants d'Espagne, (Songs of Spain, published in 1892) are a solid example of the compositional ideas he was exploring in the “middle period” of his life. The suite shows what Albéniz biographer Walter Aaron Clark describes as the “first flowering of his unique creative genius”^{[page needed]}, and the beginnings of compositional exploration that became the hallmark of his later works. This period also includes his operatic works – Merlin, Henry Clifford, and Pepita Jiménez. His orchestral works of this period include Spanish Rhapsody (1887) and Catalonia (1899).

Albéniz on his own music[link]

Perhaps the best source on the works is Albéniz himself. He is quoted as commenting on his earlier period works as,

“there are among them a few things that are not completely worthless. The music is a bit infantile, plain, spirited; but in the end, the people, our Spanish people, are something of all that. I believe that the people are right when they continue to be moved by Cordoba, Mallorca, by the copla of the Sevillanas, by the Serenata, and Granada. In all of them I now note that there is less musical science, less of the grand idea, but more color, sunlight, flavor of olives. That music of youth, with its little sins and absurdities that almost point out the sentimental affectation…appears to me like the carvings in the Alhambra, those peculiar arabesques that say nothing with their turns and shapes, but which are like the air, like the sun, like the blackbirds or like the nightingales of its gardens. They are more valuable than all else of Moorish Spain, which though we may not like it, is the true Spain.”^{[citation needed]}

Impact[link]

Albéniz’s influence on the future of Spanish music was profound. His activities as conductor, performer and composer significantly raised the profile of Spanish music abroad and encouraged Spanish music and musicians in his own country.^[1]

In transcription, Albéniz's works have become an important part of the repertoire of the classical guitar. Asturias (Leyenda) in particular is heard most often on the guitar, as are Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz, Cataluña, Cordoba and the Tango in D. Gordon Crosskey and Cuban-born guitarist Manuel Barrueco have both made solo guitar arrangements of the full eight-movement Suite espanola. Selections from Iberia have rarely been attempted on solo guitar but have been very effectively performed by guitar ensembles, such as the performance by John Williams and Julian Bream of Iberia's opening "Evocation." The Doors incorporated "Asturias" into their song "Spanish Caravan"; also, Iron Maiden's To Tame a Land uses the introduction of the piece for the song bridge; and more recently, a guitar version of Granada functions as something of a love theme in Woody Allen's 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona

In 1997 the Fundación Isaac Albéniz was founded in his name to promote Spanish music and musicians and to act as a research centre for Albéniz and Spanish music in general.^[1]

In film[link]

A film, Albéniz, based on his life, was made in 1947. It was produced in Argentina.

List of selected works[link]

Opera

• The magic opal
• Henry Clifford
• Pepita Jiménez
• Merlin
• Lancelot (unfinished: 1st act complete)

Zarzuela

• Cuanto más viejo. Lost music.
• Catalanes de Gracia. Lost music.
• El canto de salvación. Lost music.
• San Antonio de la Florida.
• La real hembra.

Works for piano

• Tres suites antiguas (Three ancient suites) (1885–1886).
• Chants d'Espagne, Op.232
• Suite española, op. 47 (Spanish suite). With 8 pieces: Granada, Cataluña, Sevilla, Cádiz, Asturias, Aragón, Castilla and Cuba.
• Suite española, op. 97. 4 pieces: Zaragoza, Sevilla, Cadix-gaditana, and Zambra granadina (1883–1888) (1889).
• España, Op.165. 6 pieces: Preludio, Tango, Malagueña, Serenata, Capricho Catalán and Zortzico.
• Doce piezas características (Twelve characteristic pieces) (1888).
• Recuerdos de viaje (Travel memories), Op.71. 7 pieces: En el mar, Leyenda, Alborada, En la Alhambra, Puerta de Tierra, Rumores de la caleta, En la playa (1886–1887).
• Iberia. Suite for piano with 12 pieces in 4 books ("quaderns"):
  • 1º quadern: Evocación, El Puerto, El Corpus Christi en Sevilla.
  • 2º quadern: Rondeña, Almería, Triana.
  • 3º quadern: El Albaicín, El Polo, Lavapiés.
  • 4º quadern: Málaga, Jérez, Eritaña.
• La Vega.
• Navarra, finished by his pupil Déodat de Séverac.
• Azulejos, unfinished: finished by Enrique Granados
• Rapsodia española (Spanish rhapsody) (1887)

Other works

• Cristo, oratorio.
• 2 concertos for piano and orchestra: Concerto Fantastico, 1st, 1885–1887; 2nd concerto (1892), unfinished.
• Rapsodia española (Spanish rhapsody), for piano and orchestra (1887).
• Catalonia, symphonic poem (1899).

Symphonic versions of Iberia have been arranged by Enrique Fernández Arbós, Carlos Surinach, and Peter Breiner. There is a piano and orchestra version of Rapsodia española by Cristóbal Halffter.

Media[link]

	Suite española Op. 47 – 1. Granada (Serenata) Performed on a piano by Guillermo Gonzalez Courtesy of NAXOS Suite Española, Op. 47 – 5. Asturias (Leyenda) Performed on a guitar by Gordon Rowland.
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Bibliography[link]

• Isaac Albéniz, Chants d”Espagne, G. Henle Verlag, Berlin, 2004.
• Pola Baytelman, Isaac Albéniz: Chronological List and Thematic Catalog of His Piano Works, Harmonie Park Press, Michigan 1993.
• Frances Barulich. Albéniz, Isaac. In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://0-www.oxfordmusiconline.com.catalogue.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/subscriber/article/grove/music/00421 (accessed 7 March 2010).
• Gilbert Chase, The Music of Spain, Dover Publications Inc. New York, 1959.
• Walter Aaron Clark, Isaac Albéniz: A Guide to Research, Garland Publishing Inc. New York & London, 1998.
• Walter Aaron Clark, Isaac Albéniz: Portrait of a Romantic, Oxford University Press, New York 1999.
• Daniel Ericourt and Robert. P. Erickson, MasterClasses in Spanish Piano Music, Hinshaw Music, Chapel Hill North Carolina, 1984.
• G. Jean-Aubry, “Isaac Albéniz 1860–1909,” The Musical Times, Vol 58 No. 898, Musical Times Publications Ltd., December 1917 pgs 535–538.
• Torres, Jacinto: "Las claves Madrileñas de Isaac Albéniz", Imprenta Artesanal de Madrid, 2009
• Torres, Jacinto: "Integral para voz y piano", TRITÓ Edicions, 1998

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Mallorca interactive hypermedia (Shockwave Player required) at the BinAural Collaborative Hypertext
• The Life and Music of Isaac Albéniz
• Biography and List of Works by Albéniz
• Isaac Albéniz i Pascual
• Albéniz Foundation
• Albéniz Asturias arranged for Accordion

Articles[link]

• En torno a Isaac Albéniz y su "Iberia" by Antonio Iglesias, Antonio Fernández-Cid (ref)

Sheet music[link]

• Facsimiles (La Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes)
• Free scores by Isaac Albéniz at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free scores by Isaac Albéniz at the Werner Icking Music Archive
• Tango, arranged by Mischa Elman for violin and piano (from the Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection)

Photos of Albéniz[link]

• Photos (Gallica)

Recordings by Isaac Albéniz[link]

• Improvisación nº 1, Improvisación nº 2, Improvisación nº 3 (ref – La Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes)
• L'escola pianística catalana (Enregistraments històrics) (la mà de guido , LMG3060)
• The Catalan Piano Tradition (VAI Audio, 1001) OCLC 36488795 and 4914327
• Rollos de Pianola (Obras de Albéniz, Granados, Turina, Ocón, Chapí, Alonso y Otros) (Almaviva, DS – 0141) ASIN B000GI34D6