The 250th anniversary of the death of Domenico Scarlatti provides an opportunity to showcase a carefully chosen selection of his overtures, arias and duets, to be performed by El Concierto Español under the direction of Emilio Moreno and with soprano Raquel Andueza in a concert that will open the festival.

In yet another display of the festival’s interest in showing music-lovers the scope of Spanish music’s influence in the Americas, two concerts along these lines have been scheduled: the first, on 12 June, is “La Cantada Española en América” by countertenor Carlos Mena and Al Ayre Español with Eduardo López Banzo playing clavichord and directing, while the second, set for 9 June, “Vísperas Latinoamericanas.

Música en las Catedrales y Misiones de México, Perú y Bolivia”, will be performed by the British baroque ensemble Ex Cathedra. Nor will Aranjuez miss the 400th anniversary of the first performance of what is considered history’s first opera, L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi; it will offer two performances of this unique work, on 19-20 May, by The New London Consort under the direction of Philip Pickett.

As a special feature and co-production with the government of Spain’s Navarra region, one must point out the discovery and revival of the zarzuela La Fontana del Placer, with music by José Castel and a libreto by Bruno Solo de Zaldívar – part of a drive to resurrect works of this quintessentially Spanish genre. Two performances of this work on 23-24 June will close the festival. As always, traditional musical processions are planned through the Isla and Principe gardens on 13 May and 10 and 17 June.

Furthermore, there will be two concerts by Ensemble Plus Ultra and Cor Madrigal, the former directed by Australian Michael Noone and the latter by Mireia Barrera, current director of the Spanish National Chorus. In line with the policy of recording new productions, this year’s festival will result in the release the zarzuela La Fontana del Placer by the newly created Compañía Teatro del Príncipe, featuring singers María Hinojosa, Mercedes Lario, Marta Infante, Juan Noval-Moro, Miguel Bernal and Julio Fernández.

The musical director is Pablo Heras and the stage director is Carlos Marchena, while the musicological direction is handled by Juan Pablo Fernández-Cortés. Festival organizers also plan to release an anthology of the best historical recordings of Scarlatti’s keyboard sonatas.