Octavio Vázquez
Octavio Vázquez Rodríguez (born September 10, 1972) is a Galician-American New York based composer of classical music.
Contents
Biography
Born in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain), Vazquez spontaneously started writing music at age 7. At age 12 he became music director at St. Peter's church in Lugo. In 1989 he moved to Madrid, where he studied at the CAM Conservatory and the Madrid Conservatory, taking degrees in piano, theory, and accompaniment. After winning the prestigious Barrié de la Maza Foundation Scholarship, he went on to study composition at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, and afterwards obtained a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was on a full Fellowship. Since 1999 he resides in New York City.
He is primarily interested in the "...emotional impact [of his music] and direct communication with the listener" [1]. His music has been described as "...a burning torch for the next century" by Mark Greenfest, of the New Music Connoisseur. Collaborations include musicians such as Víctor Pablo Pérez, Dmitri Berlinsky, Ilya and Leonid Finkelshteyn, Jonathan Gandelsman, Daniel Gaisford, Eldar Nebolsin, Gintaras Janusevicius, the Flatiron Trio, the Monument Piano Trio, Viacheslav Dinerchtein, Julian Gargiulo, and Grammy Award winner Cristina Pato.
Dr. Vazquez teaches at Nazareth College (New York) [2]
List of works
Orchestral
Memento (1998), winner of the Andres Gaos International Competition, premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia
Lethe (1999), based on the "Guernica" Piano Trio, premiered by Carlos Kalmar and the Galicia Symphony Orchestra
Hermes (2004), commissioned and premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia and conductor Maximino Zumalave
Styx (2005), commissioned and premiered by the Galicia Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hansjörg Schellenberger
Piano Concerto (2007), commissioned and premiered by the Galicia Symphony Orchestra, with soloist Cristina Pato
Eleusis (2009), commissioned by AEOS and Fundación Autor and premiered by the RTVE Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Leaper
Tropos, Violin Concerto (2010), commissioned by the Xacobeo Classics Festival 2010 and premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia, with soloist Amaury Coeytaux
Ewiges blaues Licht (2011), commissioned and premiered by the Galicia Symphony Orchestra and conductor Víctor Pablo Pérez
Ewiges Licht II (2013), a major revision of the former, commissioned and premiered by the Real Filharmonia de Galicia and conductor Paul Daniel
Penelope (2014), for choir and orchestra, commissioned by the Galician Cultural Council and premiered by Solo Voces, Collegium Compostellanum, and the Real Filharmonia de Galicia conducted by Maximino Zumalave
Elas (2014), for Galician gaita and orchestra, commissioned by Cristina Pato and New Music USA and premiered by Cristina Pato and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Grams
Chamber
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 (1990)
Sonata for Viola and Piano No. 1 (1992)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 (1993)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano (1994)
Suite for Bassoon and Piano (1996)
Septet (1996)
String Quartet No. 3 (1997), premiered at Merkin Hall
Sonata for Viola and Piano No. 2 (2002), diploma at the Prokofiev International Competition, premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2003
Galician Folk Dances (2003), for violin and piano, commissioned by the COAHSI
Trio for Flute, Viola and Cello (2003), premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2003
Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, 'Guernica' (1999, 2006) commissioned by the Guernica Project Inc. and premiered by the Flatiron Trio
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (2009), commissioned and premiered by Enrique Pérez Piquer and the Via Stellae Festival 2010
MusicScapes (2011), commissioned by Katya Chilingiri
Balkanika (2011), commissioned with support from the Secretary of Culture of Spain
NGC 6611 (2012), commissioned by Hilary Hahn as part of "In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores"
Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (2012), commissioned and premiered by the Poulenc Trio with support from New Music USA
Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Piano (2012), commissioned and premiered by the Verdehr Trio and Michigan State University
Solo
Sonatina for Piano (1994)
Prelude and Fugue for Guitar (1999)
Nineteen Preludes for Piano (2001)
Nostos for Guitar (2009)
Vocal
Three Cantigas (1994), to poems by Airas Nunes, Garcia de Andrade, Eanes de Cotom
Semente for Mixed Choir (1995), poem by A. R. Castelao
Tempestad, Amanece, for voice and piano trio (2002), poems by Ilia Galán
Lieder to Poemes by Goethe, for bass, bass clarinet and piano (2005)
Recordings
Nostos, Adam Levin, NAXOS
Percee, Roberto Alonso Trillo, Ouvirmos
Clarinet Sonata, Leiva & Amoedo, Ouvirmos
Prelude and Fugue, Michael Nicolella: Ten Years Passed, Gale Recordings
'Guernica' Trio, Flatiron Trio, Bohemia Music
External links
Notes
- MundoClasico.com (2007)
- Nazareth College (2014)
