Agustí Charles premieres “Lord Byron” in Germany

Posted by Cristina Martí on March 9, 2011  |  Leave a comment

On 12 March in Darmstadt, the composer Agustí Charles premiered his opera “LByron, un estiu sense estiu“ (LByron, a year without a summer), commissioned by Darmstadt’s Staatstheater and scheduled for the 2010/2011 season.

In Spain it will be premiered at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona on 25, 27 and 28 June 2011, with the participation of the choir of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Orquesta BCN216. In Germany, on the other hand, it will be performed on nine occasions over the coming months. Both the Liceu Theatre and the Teatros del Canal are involved in this production, which will also be staged in Madrid.

Marc Rosich’s libretto sets the action in Europe after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. While he was losing on the battlefield, the Tambora volcano in the Pacific Ocean erupted, releasing a cloud of toxic ash that covered the entire planet and perturbed the order of the seasons. The cloud, accompanied by violent storms, reached Geneva in the summer of 1816, leaving an unusual group of English exiles trapped in their summer home: Lord Byron, Percy B. Shelley, his lover Mary, Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, and Dr John Polidori. A gathering in the middle of a “year without a summer”, which gave rise to two of the most important texts in Gothic literature: Frankenstein and The Vampire.

Orchestra, choir and voices construct an all-enveloping sound space that situates the listener at the centre of the opera, on the stage, which also serves as an important instrument, with even the percussion located in the hall itself, and including subtle amplification that enables the public to delve into the subconscious of the characters and deduce their obsessions.

Source: docenotas.com

Presentation of two monographic CDs by Charles and Casablancas

Posted by Marcel Soleda on November 29, 2010  |  Leave a comment

Next Friday 3 December, at 12:30, will see the presentation of two monographic CDs: Elapsed Memories, by Agustí Charles, and Complete String Quartets and Trio, by Benet Casablancas. The act will be held at the Club Social of the headquarters of the Sgae Group in Catalonia (Passeig Colom, 6).

Ramon Muntaner, Llorenç Caballero, director of Tritó Edicions, and the composers themselves, Benet Casablancas and Agustí Charles, will speak at the presentation.

The work of the composer and musicologist Casablancas was recorded in the chamber music hall of the Auditori de Girona on 27, 28 and 29 July 2009 with the collaboration of the SGAE and the Fundació Autor, and consists of five pieces of music: Five interludes -quasi variazioni- (1983), String quartet no. 2 (1991), String trio (1992), Encore for Arditti (2004) and String quartet no. 3 -Raging in the Dark- (2009).

On the other hand, in September 2009 at the Auditori de Barcelona, the OBC under the baton of Jaime Martín recorded three orchestral works by the composer Agustí Charles: Elapsed Memories (2006), Double Variations (1994) and Effigies II (1998).

For further information see: www.sgae.es.

Monographic CD by Agustín Charles on Stradivarius

Posted by Marcel Soleda on September 30, 2008  |  Leave a comment

“Listening to the music of Agustín Charles one perceives the personality filled with fantasy and vitality of someone who writes and listens with authenticity, with intensity.”

These words from Nacho de Paz might encapsulate the spirit of Agustí Charles‘ music now available on this monographic CD from the Stradivarius label, performed by the Community of Madrid Orchestra conducted by director José Ramón Encinar.

The works included on the CD are Seven Looks for Orchestra (2003, inspired in the poetry of García Lorca and winner of the AEOS composition prize), Concertino for Clarinet and Chamber Group (2006, with the brilliant solo work of Salvador Salvador) and Concerto for Orchestra (2004).

Three world premieres: Parra, Torres and Charles

Posted by Cristina Martí on May 3, 2007  |  Leave a comment

Particular mention should be made of the three works that will be premiered during these first two weeks of May: Leaves of Reality, by Hèctor Parra and performed by the Arditti String Quartet, and El misterio del agua, by Jesús Torres and interpreted by the Equaliter Ensemble, can be heard at the Tàlia Theater during the XXVI edition of Ensems, the International Contemporary Music Festival of Valencia, on May 8th and 9th respectively, while Elapsed Memories by Agustí Charles will be performed for the first time on the 12th May, in a concert at the Auditori de Barcelona given by the OBC under the baton of Jacques Mercier.

Agustí Charles premiers Primary Colors

Posted by Marcel Soleda on March 20, 2006  |  Leave a comment

On the occasion of the opening of the Kasimir Malevich exhibition, Agustín Charles premieres his latest composition on Monday 20 March in the auditorium of La Pedrera in Barcelona. Primary Colors was written for three female voices and four percussionists, on commission from Obra Social de Caixa Catalunya, the organizer of the exhibition. The concert features the group Drumming, led by Miquel Bernat. There will be a repeat performance on 27 March, at the same place and with the same players.

Agustí Charles premieres his Concerto for Orchestra

Posted by Marcel Soleda on November 14, 2005  |  Leave a comment

This coming 22 November, on the Feast of St Cecilia Day, patron saint of music, the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid hosts the premiere of Concerto for Orchestra by the Catalan composer Agustí Charles. The work, which won the 2004 Joaquín Rodrigo Award (Premios Villa de Madrid), will be performed by the Community of Madrid Orchestra, conducted by José Ramón Encinar.

This is not the only work by Charles that will be heard in Madrid in November: Seven Looks, which was performed by Madrid Symphony Orchestra on 8 October, will be played again on 17 and 18 November by the RTVE Orchestra.

Seven Looks by Agustí Charles

Posted by Marcel Soleda on October 4, 2004  |  Leave a comment

Last July Tritó published Agustí Charles’s work Seven Looks, marking the start of a publishing relationship with the composer. The work took first prize at the second annual conducting competition organized by AEOS (Spanish Association of Symphony Orchestras) and sponsored by the Valparaíso Foundation. Seven Looks will be performed by the association’s 27 member orchestras.

The premiere is scheduled for February 2005 at the Auditori in Barcelona in a concert by the OBC conducted by the maestro Vasily Petrenko.