Official web site of Javier Torres Maldonado

HOME

BIOGRAPHY

WORKS

NEWS

IN FOCUS

PUBLISHERS

TEXTS

CDs

PHOTOS

MULTIMEDIA

TEACHING

CONTACT

LINKS

© 2006, Javier Torres Maldonado.

Javier Torres Maldonado

Javier Torres Maldonado studies at the Conservatoire of Mexico City and later, invited by Franco Donatoni, he studies composition with S. Gorli and A. Solbiati at the Conservatoire "G. Verdi" of Milan. He completes with honours his postgraduate studies under the guidance of Donatoni ("L. Perosi" International Accademy, Accademia Chigiana of Siena, Italy), Azio Corghi (Santa Cecilia's Accademy of Rome) and Ivan Fedele (Conservatoire of Strasbourg, France.) In 2003, he earned a diploma from the Conservatory of Milan for his work in electro-acoustic music, and in 2004 he assisted to the Stage de Composition et Informatique Musicale at IRCAM in Paris.

He has received an international array of honors including the Commande d'Etat by the French Ministry of Culture (2006), First Prize at the International Composition Competition of GRAME (Centre National de Creation Musicale of Lyons, France) for "Sinfonia Mixta", for 3 instrumental groups and electro-acoustic support, First Prize at the “Queen Elisabeth” International Composition Competition of Brussels (2004), First Prize at the International Composition Competition “A. Casella” of Siena, Italy (2001), First Prize at the Queen Maria Jose" of Geneva (2000); First Prize, International Composition Competition “Ad Referendum II" (1997), Montreal, Canada; First Prize, International Composition Competition “Città di Barletta" (1997), Italy, “Prix des Musiciens” (1998) by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, “Medalla Mozart”, from the Austrian and Mexican governments; for two consecutive times (1999 and 2001), Second Prize at the International Composition Competition “Mozart” of Salzburg, Austria, among others.

In much of his works there is a fundamental aspect that represents one of the keys to the reading in his whole research: the use of physical space in strict association with the temporal evolution of the compositional processes, a use that responds to the idea of considering the acoustic space as a surface upon which all acoustic means (like instruments, voice, but also an electro-acoustic system and the different spatial combinations deriving from them), are “visited” by musical objects, permeable or impermeable. Often this notion led the composer to fragment the disposition of players or sound means in the physical space. Some of his more important pieces are a clear, spectacular example of that: Exabrupto, for 3 instrumental groups, and electro-acoustic support, Sinfonia Mixta, Esferal, for large orchestra and electroacoustic support (in which the spatial position of the woods and brass instruments determines stereophonic effects)...

About the triptych works Figuralmusik (1996-1998), the composer says: "it originates from the fascination that I have always felt for perceptive illusions, translated into impossible objects in physical reality, and, above all, for the results of the interlacing planes and perspectives used by Piranesi and M. C. Escher". Contracting, expanding, intersecting and re-elaborating a limited number of fundamental musical figures, he expands the perception of musical objects through rapid or very slow juxtapositions of different temporal fluctuations.

According to Beth E. Levy, at times, Torres Maldonado exploit these complex compositional techniques to propose to the listener an openly social or political message; it is the case of one of his best known pieces, Exabrupto (1998), in which he uses complicated transitions in time and space, sudden breaks in the form and polymeters in a tribute to the memory of Mexican Indians who were assassinated in 1998 in Acteal, Chiapas.

He receives commissions from important festivals and international institutions, among which: the Biennale of Venice , Festival Musica ( Strasbourg ), Settimana Musicale Senese, Gaudeamus Music Week ( Amsterdam ), Biennale Musiques en Scène of Lyon, Focus! Festival (New York), Rencontres entre Compositeurs et Interprètes (Paris), Mostra Sonora (Sueca, Spain); and his compositions are performed, among others, by Armand Angster, Carlo Chiarappa, Pascal Contet, Pablo Marquez, Ensemble Aleph, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Divertimento Ensemble, Danel String Quartet, Ensemble Aleph, Ex-Novo Ensemble , National Orchestra of Belgium, Symphony Orchestra of Bilbao, Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, "La Fenice" Opera Theater of Venice. "Portrait" concerts have had dedicated to him by the Tiroler Festspiele Erl (Austria) in 2000 and 2001, the Milano Musica Festival in 2006, the "Cervantino" International Festival among others.

Torres Maldonado is the Artistic Director of the Dynamis Ensemble. From 2003 to 2007 he was professor (full time) in Analysis and Electro-acoustic Composition and Composition Techniques on the XXth. Century at the Conservatoire “A. Vivaldi” of Alessandria, Italy, and from 2007 he beacame professor (full time) in Composition and new technologies at the Conservatoire "G. Verdi" of Milan. He had teached computer sound modelling and electro-acoustic composition at the Conservatoires of Trento and Riva del Garda and Monopoli ( Italy ) and he holds seminars and workshops on composition and new technologies in different high education musical institutions, in both sides of the Atlantic.