The album Carnival & Concertos featuring the trumpeter Frédéric Demers on which I collaborated gets incredible reviews, again! Here is the article appearing in the International Trumpet Guild Journal.
Compositions
Patil Harboyan plays Babin at Doctorat Recital
The pianist, originaly from Laval, Patil Harboyan will perform her Doctorat Concert at Stony Brook University, Long Island New York. She honored me by playing two of my piano pieces at this occasion : Duel, for which the World Music Competition IBLA Grand Prize granted a Special Mention last summer, together with Vains sont les jours. She is also performing pieces by two great canadian composers : Jacques Hétu who recently passed away and Alexina Louie. The concert is scheduled at noon on November 29.
As is it is impossible for me to attend, I just wish to say : break a leg!
“La Suite du promeneur” with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra
MONTREALCHAMBER ORCHESTRA
2010-2011 season – Domtar Laureates Concert Series
FREE ADMISSION
Reservation required : (514) 872-1224 or here
Thursday Nov. 4, 2010 – 8:00 PM
Saint-James United Church – 463 Saint-Catherine W., Montreal
Oboe Concerto, AV144, Richard Strauss
Soloist: Tamàs Balla
Conductor: Wanda Kaluzny
Also in the program:
Symphony no.40 in G. Minor, KV550 by W.A. Mozart
Suite du promeneur by L. Babin
Symphony no.52 in C Minor, Hob.I: 52 by F. J. Haydn
Pavane, op.50 by G. Fauré.
Strauss’ Oboe Concerto dates from the final stages of the composer’s career and ranks as one of the finest works ever composed for the instrument. Strauss wrote the concerto at the suggestion of John De Lancie, an American soldier and professional oboist stationed near Garmisch at the end of the Second World War. The concerto is notable for Strauss’ economical scoring which is characteristic of his later compositions, compared to the expansive instrumentation of his earlier symphonic poems and operas. In three movements played without pause, the Strauss Oboe Concerto contains many lengthy and technically challenging passages for the soloist, particularly with regard to breathing and phrasing.
Tamàs Balla, oboe
Born in Hungary in 1984, Tamàs Balla began his formal musical training at the Béla Bartók School of Music in Budapest. He later attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music where, in 2007, he graduated with both a Master of Music in oboe performance and a teaching diploma. Since 2006, Balla has continued his performance studies in Madrid at the renowned Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, thanks to a tuition scholarship from Foundation Albeniz. He won the National Oboe Competition of Hungary for three consecutive years and went on to win other competitions in France, Poland, England and Italy. In 2008 the Queen of Spain presented Mr. Balla with an award for best oboist of the year. Tamàs Balla was the winning oboist at the 2008 AudiMozart! Competition held in Rovereto, Italy. His appearance tonight with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra is a part of that prize and marks his Canadian début.
For the complete concert season of the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, please visit their website at www.mco-ocm.qc.ca
OM by Sanaa Legdani
As I was making some sort of cleaning up thru the music I worked on this year, I realized I didn’t publish this lovely short animated movie done by Sanaa Legdani. It was presented during the final projection called Vortex 2010 at the Maison Théâtre of the Collège du Vieux-Montréal on May 26th 2010. For Sanaa, this represents her final project going out of College.
A big thanks goes to Roger Guérin for the 5.1 mix.
Special Jury Mention for “Duel”
It is with great pride I present to you this press release :
Composer Louis Babin receives Special Jury Mention
at 2010 IBLA Grand Prize international competition
Montreal –August 10, 2010 – Composer Louis Babin has earned a Special Mention for his piano composition Duel, as well as the second highest score awarded to composers at the 19th international IBLA Grand Prize competition. Organized by the New York IBLA Foundation, this annual competition recognizes excellence in the work of composers and performers around the world.
In its Special Mention the IBLA jury cited the originality of Duel, a work composed for piano by Louis Babin and debuted by young pianist Philippe Prud’Homme in December 2009. A recording of this work by Mr. Prud’Homme is anticipated for the spring of 2011. In describing his composition, Louis Babin said, “Duel speaks to Man’s interdependence with his fellow Man. It is our shared social environment that is celebrated here. No one can ignore the fact of the Other. We all need the Other in order to truly live and move beyond ourselves. In that sense, Duel is an ode to love.”
IBLA jury members selected from among 31 works submitted by composers representing North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Louis Babin was the sole Canadian composer in the running.
Performers interested in performing Duel, or any other Louis Babin composition, are invited to contact the Quebec branch of the Canadian Music Centre.