BIOGRAPHY

Rafael Catalá was born in Valencia.

As a composer, he has written numerous works and arrangements with a focus on chamber music with guitar in a wide variety of instrumentations, as well as for orchestra, solo instruments, and classical ensembles such as piano trio or string quartet. (Complete list: www.rafael-catala.com/kompositionen).
Many of these works have been released on CD and premiered in several European countries, Japan, and the USA, and have been recorded by radio and television broadcasters.
Several compositions and arrangements have been published by Doblinger (Vienna), Chantarelle (Heidelberg), and Verlag Neue Musik (Berlin).
He has studied in masterclasses with Cristóbal Halffter, Luis de Pablo, and Helmut Lachenmann.

As a performer, he has played concerts in many European countries, in Japan, the Middle East, Mexico, and the USA (Tokyo Opera Concert Hall, Izumi Hall Osaka; London’s St. John’s Smith Square, Vienna Musikverein as soloist with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Konzerthaus, Sanssouci Palace Potsdam/Berlin, Khan Theater Jerusalem, among others).

His concert career and award-winning CD recordings for renowned labels such as Sony Classical have earned him international recognition as a highly respected musician.
He has also performed in duos with singers such as mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza (Japan Tour 2004) and baritone Carlos Álvarez.

Rafael Catalá has taught courses and seminars at various music universities – Munich, Vienna, Bremen.
He is the founder (2015) and Artistic Director of the Seggauer Schlossmatineen.
(www.schlossmatineen.at)

Most important CD recordings:

Fantasía, Rafael Catalá (Sony Classical, 2004). Disco d´oro, Critics’ Award in Japan.
Música Ibérica, Rafael Catalá (Sony Classical, 1994).
Mare Nostrum (Christophorus Records, 2024).
Canciones Españolas y un poema, Carlos Álvarez / Rafael Catalá (Gramola/Naxos, 2009).
El silencio imposible, ERATOS Trio (Gramola/Naxos, 2020)(Audios/CDs complete list: www.rafael-catala.com/musik)

As an editor, he has significantly contributed to the renewal and rediscovery of the guitar repertoire:

Música Ibérica guitar series, dedicated to 19th-century Spanish guitar music; 5 volumes have been published by Doblinger (Vienna) so far.
The Legacy of Manuel de Falla: Spanish Guitar Music from the Generation of 1927, Chantarelle (Heidelberg).
Based on his work with Teresa Berganza, he published his arrangements and critical studies for voice and guitar of 15 Canciones españolas populares antiguas by Federico García Lorca through Doblinger. A version for voice and piano has recently been released.

As of July 2025