Sabina Puértolas makes her debut at LIFE Victoria alongside Rubén Fernández Aguirre
Barcelona, October 6, 2025 – One of the most eagerly awaited events of LIFE Victoria 25/26 will be the debut of the acclaimed Spanish soprano Sabina Puértolas alongside pianist Rubén Fernández Aguirre, a regular guest of the Lied series. The recital will take place this Wednesday, October 8, at 8:00 PM, at the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site.
Sabina’s recital—she became Victoria de los Ángeles’ youngest student at just 16—is a deeply symbolic occasion, as she is one of the artists who best embodies the musical legacy of the Barcelona-born soprano. It will also be the first time she performs within the Lied series that pays tribute to her life and work. In 2023, the soprano took part in the Victoria de los Ángeles Centenary Gala at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, where she shone with her artistry and paid a heartfelt tribute to her teacher.
The programme she presents with Fernández Aguirre will be devoted to another great Spanish name: the Navarrese composer Emilio Arrieta (1821–1894), widely known for his zarzuela Marina—which Puértolas will perform at the Teatro de la Maestranza in March 2026—but who also cultivated the art of song with great delicacy. Arrieta trained at the Milan Conservatory and was part of what Donizetti called the bella armata armonica (“the beautiful harmonic army”).
Thus, in the first part of the recital, Sabina and Rubén will perform songs of great delicacy and melancholy: A te, Il sospiro, In morte di una bambina, ¡Pobre Granada!, La niña abandonada and La niña sola.
In the second part, the audience will be able to hear the cantata Los cisnes en Palacio, which recounts the love affair between Emilio Arrieta and Queen Isabella II of Bourbon. This work was commissioned by Fernández Aguirre from Albert García Demestres (Barcelona, 1960) on the occasion of the bicentenary of Arrieta’s birth, and it premiered at Bilbao’s Teatro Arriaga in December 2021. This is where the programme title comes from: Sueños de reinas y plebeyos, which dialogues with the concept inspiring this year’s LIFE Victoria: El combate del sueño.
This recital may be watched live via MyOpera Player, the Teatro Real’s audiovisual platform, as well as on LIFE Victoria’s YouTube channel.
Sabina Puértolas
She is one of the Spanish artists with the greatest international projection and recognition, regularly invited to the leading theatres in Europe, the Americas and Asia, and a distinguished interpreter of bel canto. She has shone in opera roles around the world, achieving consecutive successes. In 2023 she took part in the Victoria de los Ángeles Centenary Gala at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and recently triumphed at the Teatro Real with La traviata, receiving a historic ovation from the audience.
The first part revolves around the work of three women from different periods and places, reaffirming their role in history and the richness of their legacy. With the Three Romances for Violin and Piano by Clara Wieck Schumann, the Two Pieces for Violin and Piano by Lili Boulanger, and the Romance by Alicia de Larrocha, the performers bring back works that have remained in the background in the face of the male canon.
Rubén Fernández Aguirre
A pianist specialising in accompanying singers, he collaborates with some of today’s most outstanding voices on the international opera scene. He is a frequent guest of LIFE Victoria and Honorary Patron of the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation.
LIFE New Artists
As is customary at LIFE Victoria, the recital will open with emerging talent from the LIFE New Artists programme. On this occasion, the spotlight will be on countertenor Álvaro Basco, who will perform songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, accompanied on piano by Rubén Fernández Aguirre. In this way, new operatic talents share the stage with artists of established careers, advancing their own careers with the support of the Series and the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation.