BARCELONA
PIANO ACADEMY
WORKSHOPS
July 14th 2018
1) An analytical approach to the greatest Spanish Piano Music by the noted composer and musicologist Víctor Estapé
No one would dare to deny the melodic charm and inspiration of Granados’ piano music, but the structural consistency and formal coherence of his works have often been challenged. This Workshop aims to show that even if, as a composer, Granados didn’t share some of the structural ideals of Austro-German musicians such as Beethoven or Brahms, his great late masterpieces have nevertheless its own coherence and many features that give proof of the composer’s concern for large-scale structural relationships. His music is thus not only an endless succession of beautiful melodies supported by amazing piano textures, but also a vehicle for the expression of highly compelling and richly organized tonal dramas.
2) Perspectives on piano performance through a theoretical, reflective and analytical lens with Dr. Deirdre O'Donohue
CHARACTER CONTRIBUTING FORCES IN MUSIC
How do musical elements and gestures interact to create specific moods, atmosphere and character? Why do we feel conflict, tension, agitation, calm, stability or relaxation?
Special emphasis on slurs, legato, portato, staccato, accents, rests, suspensions, upbeats, dynamics and mode. Examples from: Prokofiev: Visions Fugitives Op. 22, Romeo and Juliet Op.75; Beethoven: Op. 2, No. 1 and Op. 90; Brahms: op. 10 and Op. 117; Debussy: Claire de Lune (from the Suite Bergamasque); Ravel: Le Gibet (from Gaspard de la Nuit) and others.
3) Alexander Technique with the specialist Xavier Ortíz
AN EXPERIENTIAL INTRODUCTION TO THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE
I’m Xavier Ortiz, Alexander Teacher, who graduated in 1996 at the Constructive Teaching Center, London.
I would like to present a workshop that has met with great success at recent International congresses in Fribourg, Lugano and Limerick. The workshop introduces some tools for exploring the basic principles of the Technique in a funny, easy and pedagogic way.
We’ll discover how sometimes our body tricks us: sometimes we feel tha we do something that actually is not what we thing we’re doing. This “decalage” between what we feel and what we do is crucial when playing. Not having a real control of our body disturbs our playing and reduces our performance.
In that workshop we’ll try to discover and get rid of this habits that shrunken our body awareness. That will allow us to improve our performance, giving poise, easiness, calm and control of our body when playing the instrument.
"The stress and strain decreases vibration of a musician and create a vicious circle: the higher the misguided effort we put into producing sounds, more forced the sound will become; the worse the sound becomes, more effort we put into it".
Indirect procedures
Pedro de Alcantara
"The alexander Technique involves a continual attempt to discover and free ourselves from deeper and deeper layers of interferences with natural functioning. This never-ending experimental process is guided by the basic principles of the Technique, which are tested in action".
Michael Gelb
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE - INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS
Optional session*
Work with students on a one-to-one basis.
During each lesson we will take time to observe your posture and movement patterns. With Alexander Technique, corporal awareness is achieved through interaction with the teacher by placement of hands on the neck, shoulders and back. This helps you to feel and better understand your own breathing patterns and movement.
The teacher’s hands are trained to be gentle and respectful, encouraging the release of unwanted tensions in the body. At the end of the lesson the body will be more relaxed, grounded and calm. Students feel a great sensation of release, well-being and peace.
We encourage you to try a session; you’ll discover a new awareness of your body and relationship with your instrument. The sessions focus on increasing ease when making movements and playing. It is worthwhile!
Dr. VÍCTOR ESTAPÉ, composer
Academic Director of the Liceu Conservatori
Víctor Estapé began his musical education at the Conservatory of Terrassa (Barcelona) with Jordi Figueras and Maria Vancells. Later on he studied composition with Benet Casablancas and Josep Soler at the Conservatory of Badalona (Barcelona).
Between 1991 and 1994, thanks to grants from the Austrian, Spanish and Catalan governments he continued his studies in Vienna at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. His teachers during this period were Erich Urbanner (Composition), Karl-Heinz Füssl (Analysis) and Diether De la Motte (Theory), among others.
He has taught at various Spanish music centers, such as the Lleida Conservatory, L'Escola de Música de Barcelona, the Balearic Islands Conservatory in Majorca and the University of La Rioja.
Currently, he teaches Composition, Analysis and Music History at the Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona.
He writes articles and gives lectures about many musical topics. He has written about many subjects related to musical analysis, among them research papers about the music of Frederic Mompou and the harmonic language of 19th Century Music. His doctoral dissertation deals with the harmonic language and structure of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.
Víctor Estapé has written many vocal and instrumental, orchestral and chamber music works. His music seeks a personal, expressive and communicative language.
Xavier Ortíz, Alexander Technique Specialist
I’m a professional actor. When I was 30, my body was a mess; I was always rushing everywhere, stressed and nervous, and particularly concerned about my voice and posture. Once my voice teacher told me – Or your body changes or your voice won’t change…- I started to go to massage, to Rolfing, to all sort of therapies, an of course to the Alexander Technique. That was the changing point. It’s incredible like by “stopping and doing nothing”, just observing and changing your habits one’s life can make such a remarkable change.
I graduated at Carrington’s Constructive Teaching Centre in London in 1996. Through all this years I’ve being passionately acting and teaching all over Europe. This background has helped me to write articles, give lectures, speeches and workshops on the Alexander technique as well as allowing me to discover how to create amusing new games and a personal way to explain what the technique is about.
Nica Gimeno, Alexander Technique Specialist
Nica Gimeno studied gestual theater at the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona during the years 1978-1981 and she has pursued her theatrical research exploring theater movement and various physical techniques.
In 1983 she received her first classes of Alexander Technique (A.T.) that led her in 1985 to enter The Constructive Teaching Centre (London) run by Walter and Dilys Carrington, who had studied with F.M. Alexander. She was graduated in 1988 and began her private practice in Barcelona running introductory workshops in different Spanish cities and abroad.
She has worked as A.T. teacher at the Terrassa Conservatory of Music, and at the Andalusian Theatre Centre (CAT), she has also worked as an assistant at The Constructive Teaching Centre. From 1989 to 2001, she was a member of the faculty at the Drama Department of the Institut del Teatre giving individual A.T. lessons. During 2012 she was appointed to teach the technique in a weekly basis to the musicians of the OBC, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.
She has completed a four-year training program as a Gestalt therapist at the Gestalt Institute in Barcelona and she graduated at the Psycho-corporal Integration School led by Marc Costa in Barcelona.
In 2003 Nica Gimeno created the Estudi Centro Técnica Alexander in Barcelona, the first training school for A.T. in Spain. She gives also private A.T. and psychotherapy sessions. She currently teaches at the Dance Department of the Institut del Teatre. She is a founding member of APTAE.
