About the author, composer and guitarist
Author Jaume Cabré
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Author Jaume Cabré is an essential author in contemporary Catalan literature. For many years he combined his literary work with teaching and writing film and television scripts. His work – with the novel Jo Confesso (Confessions) deserving special mention - has been an overwhelming success in Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands, making him one of the most important authors on the current literary landscape.
With over 1.5 million copies sold and translated into 30 languages, Confessions has been called a masterpiece of world literature by international reviewers, and awarded The Athens Prize for Literature 2017, Stockholm, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern International Literature Prizem 2017, Prix Jean Morer des Vendanges Littéraires de Rivesaltes 2014, Prix Courrier International 2013 and Premi de la Crítica Catalana 2012 amongst others. Selected Press Quotes: · “One of the best novels of the last decade.” - El Mundo · “Exceptional.” Sam Abrams · ‘Absolutely captivating' – Andrea Camilleri · ‘A work of art more than a novel' – Le Point · ‘Hitting the jackpot with Confessions, Cabré's is a story of European history from the Inquisition to Auschwitz' – Le Figaro · ‘The narrative unfolds with such creativity and mastery…perfection from an author who has reached the very highest level of excellence in his craft. This book has earned its place alongside the classics” - Joan Josep Isern · ‘Its complexity turns Confessions into a piece of writing that has the power to influence our view of the world – a quality belonging to the best of literature' – El Mundo · ‘Jaume Cabré deserves to be recognized for what he is, one of the greats of world literature' – Jordi Cevera |
Composer Marián Budoš
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Composer Marián Budoš (b.1968) is an award-winning composer represented by the Australian Music Centre. He studied composition at the Australian National University with Jim Cotter and Larry Sitsky. Budoš has received a number of awards, the most prestigious being the 1998 SOZA (Slovakia's performance and mechanical right association's highest honour) Composer of the Year Award for his work Two Worlds for classical and semi-acoustic guitars, televised nationally on STV and later released on a CD of the same title, recorded at Slovak Radio.
Since his first commission in 1991, Budoš has written dozens of new works for numerous internationally renowned artists from solo through chamber to full operatic works (e.g. Princess, For Love and War, 2006 Tripoli production, National Museum of Korea, Seoul) and symphonic pieces (e.g. My Canberra, Symphony no 2 commissioned to celebrate 100 years of Canberra in 2013) which were premiered in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, USA, Cuba, UK, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic. His orchestral music has been further performed by Slovak Sinfonietta, Lublin Philharmonics, Slovak Chamber Orchestra of Bohdan Warchal and Archi di Slovaka. He has also worked with some outstanding soloists, including cellist Monika Leskovar (Berlin), harpist Alice Giles (Australia), guitarist Tonie Field (Australia) and cellist David Pereira (Australia), just to mention a few. Budoš also writes film music, most recently an orchestral score for an upcoming 2019 release of a thriller The Bow Sisters by Goldfish Productions, Australia. Budoš 's orchestral album Heart On A Sleeve with his three guitar concertos featuring conductor Oliver von Dohnanyi, Slovak Sinfonietta and the international talents of guitarists Remi Boucher (Canada), Jan Labant (Slovakia) and Peter Remenik (Czech Rep.) has been released digitally through TuneCore (USA) in all major stores. Music from this album has also been used in film (A Touch of Courage: The Enlightenment), Slovak TV commercials (Stop Domestic Violence Against Women campaign), as well as being regularly broadcast on 290 PB stations across the USA via Classical Guitar Alive. Budoš's music has also been commercially released on other artists' albums, including The New Zealand Guitar Quartet, Sally Walker & Phillip Mayers, John Couch, etc. Budoš's music has been broadcast frequently on many national radio broadcasters, including Australian ABC Classic, Radio New Zealand, Slovak Radio, Classical Guitar Alive (USA), Havana Radio, various German radio stations, just to mention a few. His tribute to David Bowie, The Passing of a Black Star, from the same album was recently an album of the week on both ABC Classic and Radio New Zealand. |
Guitarist Jacob Cordover
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"It would be difficult to imagine finer musical performances … Throughout it is obvious that Cordover has considered every nuance and phrase … There is nothing superficial about the playing." - Classical Guitar Magazine
Australian Classical guitarist Jacob Cordover has enjoyed a varied and extensive international career as a concert and recording artist based out of his home in Spain. Over the past 20 years, and across over a dozen countries in 4 continents, Mr. Cordover has appeared on stage as a soloist, in small chamber ensembles, and as soloist with orchestra, having performed in large concerts halls such as Barcelona's iconic Palau de la Música and l'Auditorí, Beijing's Centennial Hall, and the Cultural Centre of the Philippines' Main Theatre, as well as more intimate venues such as the Rix Centre in Bamfield, Canada; Raynham House's Ballroom in England's Norfolk; and at Montsalvat, in Melbourne, Australia. Highlights from his career include 8 CD recordings, 4 as a soloist and 4 in duo, including 2 live recordings for the Association of Catalan Composers. "He has it all—technique, musicianship, inventive programming.”- American Record Guide Comfortable performing a wide range of musical styles, Mr. Cordover actively programs music from the Baroque to contemporary; audiences are as familiar seeing him give world premieres as performing forgotten 19th century gems on period instruments. “His interpretation of the Bach suite is one of the finest I have heard.” (Classical Guitar Magazine). “This is simply the finest performance of Walton's Bagatelles I've encountered.” (American Record Guide). His interest in contemporary music, coupled with a strong belief that classical music should not be static but rather forward-looking, has led Mr. Cordover to collaborate with numerous composers as well as to premiere a wide range of works for guitar solo and in chamber music combinations, including: the world premiere of Adrià's Confessions by Marián Budoš; a new arrangement for guitar and orchestra by Melani Mestre of Enrique Granados' Valses Poéticos; the North American and Asian premieres of Leo Brouwer's Baladas del Decameron Negro for guitar and string quartet; and the world premiere of Sepharad – a piece for prepared guitar and flute by Catalan composer Carles Guinovart. Mr. Cordover performs on several guitars: 2006 Greg Smallman and Sons guitar, Elias Bonet Monné (2015), José Ramirez P.C. (1965), and the Famiglia Vinaccia (1915). Mr. Cordvoer is a Knobloch Artist and exclusively uses Knobloch Strings. |
