The CD
Benet Casablancas’ monograph CD “The Art of Ensemble” was released on January 19 on Sony Classical.
With this album, the London Sinfonietta, conducted by Felix Krieger, gives insight into Casablancas’ recent musical writings by exploring six ensemble works written between 2010 and 2014: Dove of Peace. Homage to Picasso (2010), Octeto (2010), Four Darks in Red, after Rothko (2010), Mokusei Gardens. A Viennese Notebook (2014), …der graue Wald sich unter ihm schüttelte (2011) and Dance, Song and Celebration (Homenaje a Xavier Montsalvatge) (2012).
Except for Octeto all works have a subtle connection with other arts, namely a reference to: Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Cees Nooteboom, Georg Büchner and Xavier Montsalvatge. A dialogue along with other artistic influences is a recurring theme in Casablancas’ music. For Casablancas, all arts share the same striving towards poetry. The means he uses to explore a creative idea are subordinate to the poetry he shares with these other artists.
Author Antonio Muñoz Molina notes as an essential feature that defines the works on this album Casablancas “ability to examine the richness that is contained in each specific form” and appraises “the concrete challenge that his inner codes formulate for the invention.”
TV3 has recommended Bent Casablancas' new release. Follow this link to watch the video in Catalan.
Benet Casablancas
Born in Sabadell (Barcelona) in 1956, Benet Casablancas is one of the leading spanish composers of his generation. He studied in Barcelona and Vienna, where he worked with, among others, Friedrich Cerha and Karl-Heinz Füssl. He also has a degree in philosophy and a PhD in musicology, both from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Courses with C. Halffter, G. Ligeti, E. Carter, M. Kagel, G. Benjamin and M. Lindberg. His works, distinguished with numerous commissions and awards (Ciudad de Barcelona, Musician´s Accord of New York, Fundación Juan March of Madrid, Spanish National Recording Prize, Composer´s Arena of Amsterdam, Oscar Esplá, Ferran Sors, ISCM Festival, etc.), have been performed around Europe, Canada, the USA and South America, by prestigious soloists, ensembles and conductors (London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, Arditti Quartet, Ensemble 13 of Baden-Baden, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Notabu of Düsseldorf, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Perspectives Ensemble New York, Seattle Chamber Players, Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, Trio à cordes de Paris, Grupo Encuentros de Buenos Aires, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Ensemble Modern Academie, Ensemble Reconsil Wien, Trio à cordes of Paris, Ensemble 88 Maastricht, Ensemble Insomnio of Utrecht, Leipziger Streichquartett, BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Kammerphilarmonie Bremen, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestre National de Belgique, Hermitage de San Petersburgo, Symfoni Orkester Malmö, National Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Netherlands, Spanish National Orchestra, Orchestra of Barcelona and Catalonia, the Symphony Orchestras of Galicia, Granada, Tenerife, Comunidad de Madrid and Spanish Radio and Television, Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Gran Canaria Philharmonic, Trio Arbós, Proyecto Gerhard, Ensemble Reconsil Wien, Damocles Trio New York, Brouwer Trio, Trio Kandinsky, V. Jurowski, O. Knussen, J. Pons, V. Petrenko, L. Foster, F.-P. Decker, T. Weiss, G. Ben-Dor, M.A. Schlingensiepen, A. Leaper, M. Reichert, U. Pöhl, E. Micic, B. Güeller, R. Gimeno, A. Terzian, M. Scwierzewski, A. Ros-Marbà, J. López Cobos, E. Colomer, A. Posada, A. Gil-Ordóñez, F. Ollu, C. Rundell, A. Soriano, J.R. Encinar, etc.). His work 'The Dark Backward of Time', for orchestra, has been finalist of the Prix de Composition Prince Pierre de Monaco 2007.
The works of Benet Casablancas appear on the NAXOS (Complete Piano, Chamber and Orchestral, 4 CDs), Stradivarius (Chamber and Orchestral Music), Anemos (Late Orchestral Music), Tritó (Complete String Quartets by Arditti Quartet), Emec and Verso (The Chamber Concerts) labels. Among the past commissions and performances we may mention collaborations with BBC Symphony Orchestra (2008, 24th october, London, Barbicane), National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands (2009, january), tournée in Holland and Belgium, including Amsterdam Concertgebouwn, Utrecht, Bruxelles, Gant), Ensemble BCN 216 (2008, 9th April, Vienna, Musikverein, II Festival 'Spanien Modern'), Malmö Symfoni Orkester (Sweden), Plural Ensemble (Köln, Germany) and Trio Arbós (Istambul), Trio Kandinsky (Tokio), London Sinfonietta (Madrid and Barcelona) and further collaborations with the Nomade Ensemble Japan (2010), Deutsches Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Tokyo Sinfonietta (2011) and Perpectives Ensemble New York.
Read more about Casablancas here, availbale both in English and Spanish.
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Resident at Southbank Centre and Artistic Associates at Kings Place, with a busy touring schedule across the UK and abroad, its core is 18 Principal Players, representing some of the best solo and ensemble musicians in the world. The group also works with talented Emerging Artists, to ensure the unique expertise of its Principals is passed on to the next generation of performers.
Having held a world-leading position in education and participation work for many years, the London Sinfonietta continues this with a belief that arts participation is transformational to individuals and communities, and new music is relevant to people’s lives.
The ensemble has an extensive back catalogue of recordings made over 50 years, which have been released on numerous prestigious labels as well as its own London Sinfonietta Label. Recent recordings include George Benjamin's opera Into the Little Hill (Nimbus; 2017), a collaboration with Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset on Snowmelt (ACT; 2016), a limited edition run of LPs in collaboration with Christian Marclay (2015) and a disc of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s music (NMC; 2015) which topped the classical music chart.
