Maria de Alvear

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Maria de Alvear (* 1960 in Madrid ) is a Spanish composer and interpreter of contemporary music (piano, vocals) living in Germany .

Life

At the age of eight, Maria de Alvear received piano lessons from the composer Eduardo Polonio. In her parents' household (father: architect, mother: art collector), artists like Joan Miró and Antoni Tàpies met . From 1980 to 1986 she studied - especially with Mauricio Kagel - at the Cologne University of Music .

Her compositions often combine traditional instruments with installations specifically related to the respective space; Both the interpreter and the audience should have as much freedom as possible in their perception of the sounds. The musician's work develops from the experience she draws from studying the spiritual insights of so-called indigenous peoples in comparison with western civilization. In her work she addresses the awareness of the individual in relation to nature. Maria de Alvear became known with orchestral works such as “Sexo” and “World”, “Vagina” for voice and ensemble or “Raices” for voice and ensemble. As an artist and singer, de Alvear creates her compositions together with other performers, for example with the Drums Off Chaos ( Jaki Liebezeit , Manos Tsangaris and others) or the percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky . Her compositions have been performed in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia as well as in the USA, for example at the Biennale di Venezia , the Donaueschinger Musiktage or the Frau Musica (nova) festival in Cologne . Her installations were part of various exhibitions.

In 1992 the artist, who also works in the fields of radio plays and video, received the Bernd Alois Zimmermann scholarship . In 2014 she was awarded the Spanish National Prize for Music . In 2017 she was elected to the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences .

With the support of her sister Ana de Alvear, a visual artist, she runs the World Edition , in which she publishes books, CDs and the magazine KunstMusik .

Compositions (selection)

Misa libre for orchestra, soloists and choir (1989); And the earth heard ... radio play (1989); El premio. Piano Concerto No. 4 (1990); Die Badende, radio play (1990); Hilos de oro, Ritual for violin and orchestra (1991); Sexo, for large orchestra and voice (1991); En espiritu de rosas, 8 rituals for various instrumentalists and choir (1991/92); Altamira, ritual for choir, various instruments, soloists and video (1992); Al arlbol del norte, for piano and trombone (1992); Luces, for voice and string orchestra (1992); Purisimo, for ensemble (1992); Energia blanca, for string orchestra (1993); Soles, for Septet (1994); Aguas, for quintet (1994); Agua dulce, for oboe, violin and large orchestra (1994); Verdad for ensemble (1995); Vagina for Ensemble (1996); Luz for quartet (1996); World for Ensemble (1997), Mar (1998); Baum (2000); Thinking (2000); Asking (2002); See (2003); En Amor Duro / De Puro Amor (1990/91).

Exhibitions

October Madrid Video Sculpture, Galeria Jona Mordo Madrid (1989); In Dank, Bilder, Galerie Burgis Geismann Cologne (1990); Raices, multimedia installation, Galerie Moltkerei Cologne (1994); Azul, installation, Ensemblia 97, Mönchengladbach (1997); Utopias Básicas, installation Moyland Castle (2007)

Secondary literature

  • Raoul Mörchen: Space and Energy. The German-Spanish composer Maria de Alvear , in: MusikTexte 80, August 1999, 4–10.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Alvear, Maria de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish composer and interpreter of contemporary music
DATE OF BIRTH 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Madrid