Founded by Josetxu Obregón when he was based in The Netherlands, the ensemble La Ritirata takes its name from the final movement of the famous quintet composed by Luigi Boccherini in Spain, entitled “La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid”.

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Dedicated to combining accurate historical awareness (through a knowledge of the instruments and aesthetics of a composer’s time) with the highest levels of artistic quality, La Ritirata is at home in Baroque musical traditions from all across Europe; Bach and Handel figure in the ensemble’s programmes as much as Italian and Spanish composers from the courtly traditions of Early Baroque who feature on the Glossa album Il Spiritillo Brando. And naturally, given the Boccherinian reference in its name, La Ritirata holds a special place in its heart for the Classical era composer from Lucca who settled in Spain: programmes of cello sonatas, string trios and other chamber works feature in the group’s repertory.

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The talent of La Ritirata is taking the group to concert venues and festivals all over the world; recent examples include the National Theatre of Beijing, the CNART Early Music Festival (México City), the closing ceremony of the Spanish EU presidency (Tokyo), the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele (Germany), the Museo de Bellas Artes in Santiago (Chile), the Centro Studi Boccherini (Lucca), the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, as well as all across Spain including at Musika-Música for La Folle Journée in the Palacio Euskalduna (Bilbao), the Real Alcázar (Sevilla) and the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid (in a series organized by the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical). La Ritirata was also the only Spanish group to be selected for the first ‘Grande Audition’ of the European Early Music Network, REMA. La Ritirata has several recordings on the Verso, Arsis, Columna Música and Cantus labels, and since 2013 they are artists of the Glossa label. Its recordings have gained great critical success in the main European magazines, receiving the highest distinction by Scherzo, Ritmo and Melómano Spanish magazines, as well as «Supersonic Pizzicato» (Luxembourg), «4 étoiles» Classica (France), and great reviews in Toccata and Fono Forum (Germany), Gramophone and BBC (United Kingdom). In March 2018, La Ritirata was awarded the 2017 Culture Award of the Madrid Region which rewards the work carried out in this decade that has led to offer more than 230 concerts in 22 countries on 4 continents. The Ritirata has also received the 2013 “ojo Crítico” from RNE (Spanish Public Radio), awarded for the first time in its history to an Early Music ensemble, the Codalario Award for “Best Musical Product 2014” and has been awarded four times in the GEMA Awards (Association of Spanish Groups of Early Music).

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In 2018 La Ritirata celebrated its 10th anniversary releasing its album “Neapolitan Concertos for various instruments” (Glossa) and with performances at Thüringer Bachwochen in Germany, three concerts in Finland, Quincena Musical de San Sebastián, Semana de Música Antigua of Álava, two performances at the XXVIII IFestival Internacional Madrid Arte Sacro, the Juan March Foundation, London Music Nights (Madrid), Festival de Música Clásica in Casalarreina and the opening concert of “Universo Barroco” in the chamber hall of the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid with Nuria Rial, recorded and broadcasted by Spanish Public TV and Radio. Highlight of this year of celebrations was the performance of “Antonio Caldara: The Cervantes Operas” in Muziekcentrum “De Bijloke” in Ghent.

In 2019 it is worth mentioning the release of its 11th CD “Alessandro Scarlatti: Quella Pace Gradita” with soloists Alicia Amo, Giuseppina Bridelli and Filippo Mineccia, as well as the tour in Central America with concerts in Panama, Ecuador and Colombia and performances at the Early Music Festival in Aranjuez and at the Teatro Fernán Gómez in Madrid within the framework of the Early Music Festival Madrid 2019, Granada International Music and Dance Festival at the Alhambra (concert recorded and broadcasted by Mezzo, Culturebox, France TV and Canal Sur), Clásicos en Verano Festival in Madrid, International Keyboard Festival and Masterclass in Tui, Semana de Música Antigua in Logroño and  Korkyra Baroque Festival of Croatia.

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In 2020, despite the Covid-19 health crisis, La Ritirata published its 12th CD "Antonio Caldara and the cello" and was able to offer 16 concerts with performances at Teatro Rosalía de Castro in A Coruña, National Music Auditorium in Madrid for the CNDM Summer Cycle (concert without an audience broadcast live via streaming), San Sebastián Quincena Musical, Santander International Festival, Madrid International Sacred Art Festival, Silva de Sirenas Ancient Music Encounter Festival in Madrid, Terras Sem Sombra Festival in Portugal, Notas del Ambigú of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, Santander Early Music Festival and the Great Authors and Performers Cycle of the UAM/CSIPM.

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In 2021 La Ritirata offers two concerts in Portugal: the Terras sem Sombra Festival and at the Opening of "Mostra Espanha" in Lisbon and a concert at the Summer Festivities of Early Music in Prague. In Spain, they perform in Bilbao Musika-Música, the Albacete Early Music Festival, at the National Music Auditorium in Madrid for the CNDM's Universo Barroco cycle with the program of their CD "Quella Pace Gradita" together with the singers Alicia Amo and Giuseppina Bridelli, Círculo das Artes de Lugo, Las Navas de Marqués International Festival, Summer Classics in Madrid, Daroca Early Music Festival, Álava Early Music Week, Nights in the Gardens of the Real Alcázar in Seville, Lorca Early Music and Cycle of Great Authors and Performers of Music (National Auditorium). In November, at the Música en Segura festival, they obtain the "Circuitos de FestClásica" award with their program "Festeggiando Macini" and their CD "Antonio Caldara and the cello" obtains the "Listener's Choice Award" from The Violoncello Foundation of New York (USA). .UU.) for best album dedicated to cello.

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In 2022 La Ritirata inaugurated the concert season of the Philharmonic Society of Zaragoza, and toured with the program "Concerts for 2, 3 and 4 keys by J.S. Bach" in Salamanca (Salamanca Barroca), Madrid (National Auditorium for CNDM Universo Baroque) and Bilbao (Teatro Arriaga) together with the prestigious French harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï and the Spanish harpsichordists Diego Ares, Ignacio Prego and Daniel Oyarzabal. They also offered the closing concert at the 59th Cuenca Religious Music Week with Alessandro Scarlatti's oratorio "Il Giardino di Rose" together with soprano Nuria Rial, and performed for the first time at Baluarte de Pamplona and took his new program on tour " Festeggiando Mancini" with 15 concerts for FestClásica in important halls and festivals throughout Spain such as the Aranjuez Early Music Festival, the Segovia Music Festival, the Vélez-Blanco Early Music Festival, Gijón Early Music, the Camino de Santiago Festival, Quincena Musical of San Sebastián, International Festival of Torroella de Montgrí, Early Music Week of Álava, Early Music Week of Estella, Soriano Musical Autumn, Musica en Segura, Spanish Music Festival of Cádiz, Early Music Festival of Úbeda and Baeza, Infantes Music and Festival Asisa de Villaviciosa de Odón, also performing at the Antonio de Cabezón Festival de Burgos, Música Antiga Sagunt, International Music Week of Medina del Campo and the Palacio de Liria in Madrid.

In 2022, in addition, Josetxu Obregón published "CelloEvolution" (Glossa), his first solo album (after recording 12 with the ensemble): a musical journey on the evolution of the cello from its beginnings to its culmination with Bach's suites.

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In 2023 La Ritirata will perform the "Conciertos para 4 claves de Bach" with Pierre Hantaï, Diego Ares, Daniel Oyarzabal and Ignacio Prego at the Granada International Music and Dance Festival, the oratorio "Il Giardino di Rose" by A. Scarlatti together to Nuria Rial in Basel, the commissioned program "Bach. Cantatas 49 and 152" at the FIAS International Festival of Sacred Art in Madrid at the Royal Palace with Lucía Martín-Cartón and José Coca Loza, and various concerts at the International Festival of Santander, Clasclas Festival in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Sacred Music Week in Martos (Jaén), as well as CelloEvolution recitals by Josetxu Obregón at the Seviqc Brežice Festival in Ljubljana (Slovenia), Granada International Music and Dance Festival, Festival Early Music Madrid and the Early Music Festival of Seville, and other appearances as a soloist in the Cycle of Great Authors and Performers of Music of the Autonoma University of Madrid, Nights in the Gardens of the Real Alcázar in Seville, the Álava Organ Festival and the La Rioja Organ Festival and two concerts with the Stradivarius 1700 cello at the Royal Palace in Madrid.

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La Ritirata are:

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Tamar Lalo, recorders

Daniel Zapico, theorbo and guitar

Daniel Garay, percussion

Josetxu Obregón, baroque violonchelo and artistic direction