Biography
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Born
11 March 1912
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Born In
Girona, Girona, Catalunya, Spain
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Died
7 May 2002 (aged 90)
Xavier Montsalvatge is one of the most representitive names from the so-called "lost generation", between the one of the Spanish Republic and present-day composers. His work has had a large international projection and has become a reference point on the contemporary music scene. He first gained wide spread recognition in the 1940s with a set of songs called Cinco Canciones Negras (1945); they mark the beginning of a Post-Nationalistic period that later evolved into his so-called "Antilles style" featuring West Indian/Carribean stylistic traits. This is one of the common denominators in works like the Cuarteto Indiano (1951). The Concierto Breve (1953) for piano and orchestra points to the beginning of more abstract forms. The influence of Impressionism is present in the-Sonatine pour Ivette (1960)- or the use of serial-related techniques in the following works: Cinco Invocaciones al Crucificado (1969), Laberinto (1970) for orquestra, and Sonata Concertante for cello and piano (1971). Later the composer settled into a more eclectic style which seems to synthesize the rest of his production. This is found in his Concertos for harp (Concierto capriccio, 1975), harpsichord (Concierto del Albaycín, 1977) and guitar (Metamorfosis de concierto, 1980) as well as the Requiem Symphony (1985), Fantasy for Guitar and Harp (1983), Sortilegis (1992) and also in Bric à Brac (1993). He was also active in the field of Opera: El gato con botas (The cat with boots), Una voce in off (A voice in off) and Babel 46. His works have been premiered in a number of International Music Festivals such as those at Cadaqués, Castillo de Peralada and Cuenca, and his music has been performed by world-renowned musicians such as Neville Marriner, Jean Pierre Rampal, Victoria de Los Angeles, Montserrat Caballé or Barbara Hendrix and Alícia de Larrocha.
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