Leonardo Balada pioneered blending ethnic music with avant-garde techniques, creating a personal style seen in works like "Sinfonía en Negro: Homage to Martin Luther King."
Instruments
David Premo, the cellist on this recording, plays a cello made around 1860 by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume.
Composer Biography
Leonardo Balada, the composer, studied composition with notable figures like Vincent Persichetti and Aaron Copland, and conducting with Igor Markevitch.
Cultural Impact
Leonardo Balada's opera "Christopher Columbus" premiered in Barcelona with José Carreras and Montserrat Caballé, attracting international attention and being called a "masterpiece" by the Washington Times.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Leonardo Balada's second stylistic period, the avant-garde, was influenced by the dramatic dynamics and staccatos of early electronic music.
Performer Biography
Enrique Graf, the pianist on this album, is a former student of Leon Fleisher and won the William Kapell International Competition.
Recording & Production
This album features the world premiere recording of Leonardo Balada's Viola Concerto.
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