Leonardo Balada, born in Barcelona in 1933, studied composition at The Juilliard School with Vincent Persichetti and Aaron Copland, and conducting with Igor Markevitch.
Composer's Artistic Vision
When composing for piano, Leonardo Balada sometimes uses the instrument as a solo entity by combining striking the keyboard with directly plucking or hitting the strings.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Leonardo Balada, the composer, considers himself primarily an orchestral composer and finds the piano somewhat old-fashioned in terms of timbre for contemporary music.
Recording & Production
This album features world première recordings of Balada's Preludis Obstinants, Mini-Miniatures, Alairving Variation, and Persistencies.
Composer Biography
Leonardo Balada is recognized for pioneering a blend of ethnic music with avant-garde techniques, creating a personal style evident in works like Sinfonía en Negro - Homage to Martin Luther King.
Performer Biography
Pablo Amorós, the pianist on this recording, studied with Alicia de Larrocha and Leonel Morales after training in London with Noretta Conci, a former student of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
Composer Biography
Since 1970, Leonardo Balada has been a University Professor of Composition at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
