Prizewinning Belcastro

Following his recent First Prize in the prestigious international Edvard Grieg Composers' Competition in Oslo, and his selection in the ISCM World Music Days Festival in Hong Kong, the Italian composer Luca Belcastro concluded 2002 by winning First Prize in the Premi Internaçional de Composició Musical 'Ciutat de Tarragona'.

The 'Ciutat de Tarragona', one of the most important international competitions, is organized by the Ajuntament de Tarragona in collaboration with the Department of the Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and is a member of the World-wide Federation of International Music Competitions. The Award for symphonic compositions was open to all composers, regardless of nationality or age and with only one (indivisible) prize.

The winning score was You, wind of March for soprano, baritone and orchestra, on a text from the homonymous poetry of Cesare Pavese drawn from Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi.

Luca Belcastro has been invited to Tarragona for the performance of his winning composition by the Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya in June 2003 at the Auditori Camp de Mart.

Meanwhile, Belcastro's vocal piece La voce delle creature continues to be performed in important venues by the Hilliard Ensemble from the UK. Based on a text from The Confessions of Saint Augustin, this piece has already received a prize in Biennale Neue Musik 2001 in Hannover, and has been performed most recently at the Auditori of Barcelona / Festival Musiques Contemporaines, at a BBC Lunchtime concert in Temple Church, London and in Moscow's Puskin Museum.

Information: www.lucabelcastro.it

Posted: 9 January 2003

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