...that pale blue dot
Commissioned by and dedicated to the Real Filharmonía de Galicia (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia) and its conductor, Paul Daniel. First performance was given by the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, conducted by Paul Daniel, at the Galicia Concert Hall, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, April 20, 2018.
What do you think about...
Commissioned by the Santiago de Compostela Municipal Wind Orchestra in honor of its 170th Anniversary. The work was written in memory of the victims of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. First performance was given by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia, in collaboration with the Santiago de Compostela Municipal Wind Orchestra, conducted by Casiano Mouriño at the Galicia Concert Hall in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on May 11, 2018.
HEROÍNAS NA MEMORIA
Excerpts from
Awarded in the IX Martín Códax Music Awards (2022).
Heroínas na Memoria is a multimedia project commissioned by and dedicated to the Meaño Musical Union Wind Orchestra (BUMM) and its conductor, Diego Javier Lorente López. Text by Eva Mejuto.
Piccadilly Circus
An encounter with Leonard Bernstein and Dmitri Shostakovich.
Dedicated to Rafa Agulló Albors. First performance was given by the Gran Canaria Wind Orchestra, conducted by Rafa Agulló, at the Alfredo Kraus Concert Hall, Gran Canaria, Spain, September 26, 2015.
I HAVE LONG HAD
concerns about the wind ensemble repertoire being more about effects, technical difficulty, and incestuous formulas than beauty and expressive opportunities for players that demonstrate the maximum potential for expression by the performers. I found Mr. Alcalde’s work to have significant musical depth through unashamedly and refreshingly beautiful melodies within a strong formal structure. The harmonic imagination was fresh within a traditional framework, the contrast of rhythmic drive was inspired, and the orchestration maximized the idiomatic capabilities of the instruments while challenging the best of players.
Perhaps most notable, the aforementioned were structured for ingenious ebb and flow of emotion, seldom belaboring a theme and always leading to musical impact that reached the musical intellect of the players at their highest levels along with an accessibility that reached audiences from the musically trained through the casual listener. About the music of Antón Alcalde, one of my favorite living composers.
Thomas P. Rohrer, Ph.D. Professor of music & director of music education, Department of Music of Utah State University, United States.
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“... Alcalde’s talent for orchestration does not go unnoticed. He successfully makes the Ensemble Vigo 430 feel like a cohesive whole while simultaneously highlighting specific sounds and incorporating unique timbres, such as blowing through the f-holes of the violin…”
David Santana, critique in “Codalario” (Music Magazine) on the occasion of the world premiere of “Anatomías del abismo” at the prestigious “35th Young Composers Award by the SGAE-CNDM Foundation.”
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