Ricardo Mayral

Ricardo Mayral was the son of the composer Mariano Mayral, who was the director of the Orfeón Goya choir in Barcelona. Ricardo sang in a children'church choir, then studied at the Municipal School of Music and later at the conservatory of the Liceu. While still a student, he already sang on the radio.

He made his stage debut in 1931 at the Teatro Apolo in Madrid in Los gavilanes. Throughout his stage career, he sang only operetta – primarily zarzuela, plus some non-Spanish works (Die lustige Witwe, Die Dollarprinzessin, Rose-Marie). His was not a first-rate voice, but he was a good actor, and a master of the musical style of the zarzuela, so he became prominent in that genre. He sang at various theaters in Barcelona, but also in Madrid and many other Spanish cities as well as in Latin America, with several touring companies (including the one of Marcos Redondo). World premieres he participated in included Don Gil de Alcalá by Manuel Penella (Teatro Novedades, Barcelona, 1932), El juglar de Castilla by Francisco Balaguer (Teatro Ideal, Madrid, 1933) and Colores y barro by Jacinto Guerrero (Coliseum, Madrid, 1934).

Although his parents were both from Aragón, he obviously felt as a Catalan – which included, in times of the Spanish Civil War, being a stout anti-fascist. It seems that the victorious Franco regime even imprisoned him in León for his convictions, but certainly not for long since he continued his career without noticeable interruptions.

He retired from the stage in 1960, and became director of the Orfeón Goya choir like his father; in their concerts of mostly sacred music, he would still sing solo parts.

Reference 1, reference 2, reference 3: Kutsch & Riemens

I would like to thank Vladimir Efimenko for the recording.