In 1908, in Berlin, Ernesto de Quesada founded the “Konzertdirektion H. Daniel”. This famous name (Daniel) has a very curious origin. When Ernesto founded this company he was only 22 years old, and being so young he decided to “invent” an imaginary partner…Herr Heinrich Daniel, who naturally was out of town every time someone requested to speak to him. Besides, Daniel was a very easy to remember name and is pronounced almost exactly in any language. Six years later on the verge of World War I, Mr. Ernesto moved to Madrid and established in this city his agency under the name “KONZERTDIREKTION H. DANIEL E. DE QUESADA Ympresario”.
In a few years he already represented several Spanish artists and since 1916 he represented Arthur Rubinstein whom he met in Saint Sebastian as a guest of the Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid under the direction of Maestro Arbós. In 1918 he had organized over 50 recitals and concerts for this great pianist in Spain . Two years later he traveled with Rubinstein through different countries in South América, opportunity he took to create a delegation of “Conciertos Daniel” in Buenos Aires , and all the same to find people in other cities that were willing to represent this organization. Little by little he expanded to Peru , Colombia , some countries in Central América, and later Mexico .
He didn't leave behind the task of working in favor of music in Spain , where he created the Associations for Musical Culture in over fifty cities. This including small towns where people had never had the chance to listen to a music recital. And if that weren't enough, he gave each of them a grand concert piano, as a loan, without ever charging them for it. Due to the civil war in Spain this whole organization practically disappeared…and so did the pianos.
He presented in Spain and Latin América artists like Alexander Brailowsky, Rubinstein, Gaspar Cassadó, Jasha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, José Iturbi, Richard Strauss (only in Spain ), Walter Giesekin, Claudio Arrau, Josef Szigeti and many others with whom he kept an almost interminable relationship.
During the years of the Civil War and the World War II, the activity of “Conciertos Daniel” was practically limited to Latin America , where he expanded through the entire continent. Working closely with Mr. Ernesto were his sons Alfonso in Buenos Aires , Enrique in Caracas and Ernesto Jr. in Mexico .
In 1954 the Madrid offices received a new impulse with the collaboration of David Moreno and other people of great value who gave new air to the organization. In 1957 Ricardo (Mr. Ernesto's youngest son) entered the organization taking charge of it in 1972 at the death of his father.
Conciertos Daniel has had throughout the years faithful collaborators around the world whose memory we would like to honor: José Schraml (Madrid and Buenos Aires), David Moreno (Madrid), Alfonso Vargas y Vargas (Lima), María Amelia de Rezende Martins (Río de Janeiro), Theodor Heuberger (Sao Paulo), Alfredo Matilla (Puerto Rico), the unforgettable Rafael Bertrán (Madrid), Ismael Arensburg (Bogotá), Jaime Ingram (Panamá), Elías López Sobá (Puerto Rico) and deserving a special mention our dear Marina Serrano, now retired who worked restlessly in the Madrid office.
Conciertos Daniel has been a learning place for many great concert agents such as: Alfonso Sanz Estarrona, Felicitas Keller, Julián Uceda and Fernando Rodríguez del Río founder of the prestigious magazine “Ritmo” (Rhythm).
Ernesto
de Quesada López Chaves
Mr. Ernesto de Quesada was born on November 1 st, 1886 in Manzanillo, Cuba, when the island was still a Spanish colony. There he went to high school and college and when he finished he dedicated himself to teaching “guajiros” (Cuban indians) how to read. He would get to them riding on his horse and doing long walks that lead him to different far away towns where he performed and extraordinary task.
He meditated for a while and took the money he had earned teaching and some more he borrowed from his mother and left for the United States. He left Cuba in 1905 and went to Boston. There he studied English for a few months – he used to tell me that on Sundays he would go to church (whichever it was Catholic or Protestant) to listen to the priest and get his ears used to the new language - Afterwards he went to Harvard and studied Philosophy and when he finished in 1911 0r 1912 he still had that urge that would last his entire life. He left for Germany .
Berlin at the time was, if not the capital of European culture, one of the most advanced cities of the old continent, in science as much as in arts. It wouldn't take long before he learned the language, just as he had done in the United States . He also had the quality of surrounding himself with good friends…he entered a prestigious agency, one of the most antique agencies in Germany…but he wasn't able to stay for long…World War I exploded and after many setbacks he left for Madrid…it was a favorable time for Spain…
Upon his arrival he found a place to stay in Jacometrezo street, a zone that would soon be demolished to open space for the “Gran Vía”, he stayed there for a few months. In Berlin he had made a big irrevocable resolution: he would entirely dedicate his life to helping and promoting the diffusion of music. In Madrid he started to attend every single concert that was presented and in a short time he had made very good friends among the artists. The most renowned are Estafaniay, Cassadó and Segovia whom he started to represent…
Mr. Ernesto de Quesada Sr. Was one of the most exceptional and original characters in the musical world during the XX century. Without originally having deep musical knowledge, he became little by little an expert in recognizing the value of an artist. He helped numerous youngsters and lunched many of them into fame. He created a musical emporium in Spain that was extended into Latin America and founded over fifty musical culture associations, giving each of them a tail piano. He also founded the “Ópera Nacional de México”. The most renowned interprets of that century, among whom we remember Rubinstein, Heifetz, Arrau, Segovia, Menuhin, Szeryng, Cassadó, Brailowsky, Iturbi…held him dear and couldn't leave him behind when on tour in Latin America . He was ruined several times and was well-off many others…he didn't care much for money which he used only to help in the diffusion of musical culture.
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