Ravel | Donostia: Echoes of Friendship

The Aita Donostia Festival celebrates its 3rd edition with a historic commemoration: the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). The festival dedicates its 2025 program to exploring the deep personal and artistic connection between the great composer and an essential figure of Basque music: Aita Donostia (José Gonzalo Zulaica, 1886–1956). A deep friendship and mutual admiration linked the two musicians, inspiring a unique and moving program.

Our goal is to highlight this cultural and human bond, structuring the repertoire around the works and shared contexts of both masters. The program includes a significant selection of Aita Donostia’s work, featuring several absolute premieres that demonstrate the relevance and depth of his legacy. Alongside them, the repertoire presents representative pieces by Maurice Ravel, as well as compositions by contemporary French composers close to both, such as Lili Boulanger and Francis Poulenc. We also incorporate works by Basque composers from their circle, enriching the cultural perspective of the event.

This edition offers a series of top-level concerts, featuring internationally renowned artists. In the Viola and Piano Recital, we present violist Razvan Popovici and pianist Josu Okiñena. The Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano program is performed by violinist Tatiana Samouil, cellist Pavel Gomziakov, and, again, pianist Josu Okiñena.

Furthermore, the KEA choral ensemble directs the exciting Choral Concert, which includes Ravel's Trois chansons and three absolute premieres by Aita Donostia: Lo leri lo, Belenen sortu zaiku, and Salmo Voce Mea, under the direction of Enrique Azurza.

For the closing concert, we present an exceptional chamber ensemble: the trio featuring clarinetist Isaac Rodríguez, violist Natalia Tchitch, and pianist Josu Okiñena.

We invite you to join us for this exceptional musical gathering, a tribute to two key figures in our sonic history.

Help us reduce the Carbon Footprint: Come by public transport, bike, or on foot. You will find useful information on the access page for each concert. Furthermore, you can download your program using the QR code: less paper, more sustainability.