In a concert in the Casa Velazquez in 1988, I met young French composer Antoni Girard, recipient of the Velazquez Scholarship. His trio for three cellos (Expérience de la lumière) was very attractive, and when he later settled for a year on Mallorca to compose, he agreed to write a piece for four soloists - oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon plus string orchestra.
This piece, for a rare but interesting combination of instruments he entitled Deya, and it was premiered on 25 August 1989. The performers were members of the Epsilon Wind Quintet and the New American Chamber Orchestra.
His music is hauntingly beautiful in a minimalist style, so we asked him for another piece, this time for a specific musician, Walter Seyfarth, clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic, with string quartet. Walter played the work with the Komitas String Quartet on 4 August 1990.
The score and parts for this music is available from Antoni Girard or his publisher, and there is an archive copy in Deià.
Girard´s last-known address:
8, rue du Puits
Bois-Jérôme
27620 Gasny
France
Antoni Girard was born in East Patchogue, New York in 1959. He entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 1979 in the classes of Jean-Claude Raynaud (harmony), Jean-Claude Henry (counterpoint), Claude Ballif (analysis and composition), and Serge Nigg (orchestration). He earned a first prize in each of these disciplines.
Principal compositions (until 1989):
Crudele rappresentazione, pour clarinette en ut et trio à cordes (1983)
Gioco, pour violon et piano (1983 Éditions Gérard Billaudot)
Dilemmes, pour quatour à cordes e piano (1984)
Stèle du chemin de l'âme, pour deux pianos (1985)
Le don d'ubiquité, pour hautbois, clarinette, cor, violon, alto violoncelle, harpe, 2 pianos et timbales (1986)
Le valet de coeur, opéra, pour soprano, baryton-basse, comédien e quatuor à cordes (1986)
Abolir les mystères, pour baryton et piano (1986)
Les minutes que précèdent le sommeil, pour clarinette, clarinette basse, trio à cordes et piano (1987)
L'ivresse, en sandales dór, pour piano (1987)
Expérience de la lumière, pour trois violoncelles (1987)
Vers le ciel, pour violoncelle et piano (1987)
Chant d'amour à l'éternité. Cantate sacrée, pour mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinette, violon, violoncelle et piano (1987)
D'un autre temps, pour clarinette, violon, violoncelle, piano et percussion (1988)
Musique pour l'archange Mikhaël, pour orchestre (1988)