Gabriel Erkoreka
Encyclopedia
Biography
He studied with Carmelo Bernaola, graduating with honours in composition, piano and chamber music. In 1995 he entered the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
to study composition with Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy is an English composer and pianist. His music is characterised by the range of extremes often found in his work; opposing binary structures are found commonly, often seen as juxtaposing textures, register and tempi...
where he obtained the DipRAM and a Masters degree with distinction from the University of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and was appointed Fellow of Composition 1997-98. He has also participated in masterclasses given by Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.-Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington, a mill town in Lancashire some 20 miles north of Manchester. His interest in music was encouraged by his mother, who bought him a clarinet when he was seven, and arranged for him to have...
, Donatoni
Franco Donatoni
Franco Donatoni was an Italian composer.Born in Verona, he started studying violin at the age of seven, and frequented the local Music Academy...
, Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino
Salvatore Sciarrino is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music.-Biography:In his youth, Sciarrino was attracted to the visual arts, but began experimenting with music when he was twelve. Though he had some lessons from Antonino Titone and Turi Belfiore, he is primarily self-taught as a...
and Luis de Pablo
Luís de Pablo
Luis de Pablo is a Spanish composer.He was born in Bilbao, living in Madrid from age six and starting to compose aged 12. Although he received composition lessons from Maurice Ohana and Max Deutsch, he was essentially an autodidact in composition...
.
Erkoreka's work has been performed in the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
2004; the Musikverein in Vienna; the South Bank Centre
South Bank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, UK, on the South Bank of the River Thames between County Hall and Waterloo Bridge. It comprises three main buildings , and is Europe’s largest centre for the arts. It attracts more than three million visitors annually...
, ICA
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
and Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in London; the ISCM World Music Days in Manchester 1998 and in Hong Kong 2007; the Symphony Space in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Crown Hall in Chicago; the Toru Takemitsu
Toru Takemitsu
was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
Festival 1999 in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
; the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is held in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It has a repertoire of cutting-edge jazz, orchestral, choral and electroacoustic performances, along with film, dance and music theatre...
, Festival ‘Aujourd’hui Musiques’ in Perpignan; Festival Internacional de Alicante, the Auditorio Nacional and Centro de Arte ‘Reina Sofía’ in Madrid; and in other cities including Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Amsterdam, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
In October 2008 he was awarded First Prize in the XV Reina Sofía Composition Prize, held in Madrid. Previous laureates of this prestigious award include Witold Lutosławski. Other prizes for Erkoreka's works include the Premio de Roma
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
awarded by the Spanish Academy in Rome in 2001; Premio INAEM - Colegio de España in Paris; First Prize of the Premio SGAE in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, several prizes at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
including the Josiah Parker Prize, and the Prize of the Basque Government (1999). He was selected to participate in the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
International Rostrum of Composers in Paris, and for the International Gaudeamus Music Week.
Erkoreka's music has been recorded and broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, WDR, RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
, RNE and other radio stations from various countries including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Holland; several of his works are available on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, edited by Verso, Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
, FNAC
FNAC
FNAC may refer to:* the fine needle aspiration cytology, a medical diagnosis technique;* the Fnac, a French cultural and consumer retailer...
records and the . He has received commissions from various institutions including the Nieuw Ensemble
Nieuw Ensemble
The Nieuw Ensemble was founded in 1980 in Amsterdam. It has a unique instrumental structure, using plucked instruments such as mandolin, guitar and harp in combination with wind, string and percussion. Ed Spanjaard has been the principal conductor since 1982...
, the Biennale für Neue Musik-Hannover, the INAEM, Spanish Ministry of Culture, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Festival ENSEMS-Valencia, the Quincena Musical, the Guggenheim Museum
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The...
and the RAM. He was appointed composer-in-residence of the JONDE (Young Spanish National Orchestra) for 2001-02.
In 2001, Gabriel Erkoreka was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. He has been invited to give lectures at the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; the CDMC-Encuentros con los Jovenes Compositores in Madrid; the Festival BBK Músicas Actuales in Bilbao, and at the Estoril Music Festival in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. As a pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, he has given solo and chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
concerts in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. His orchestral debut was in April 1998, playing Ravel's Concerto in G with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. He is founder member of the Trio Bernaola and composer-in-association of the ensemble KANTAK. He currently lives in London and teaches composition at MUSIKENE-Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
Superior Conservatoire.
Erkoreka is published by Oxford University Press.
Work List
Azules (1992) 2’Mezzo-soprano and Piano
Text: J. R. Jiménez
First Performance: 04/07/1995, Wraysbury Festival (London); Jeannette Ager, Gabriel Erkoreka
Serpiente (1993) 1’30”
Solo Piano
First Performance: 12/11/1995, Royal Academy of Music (London); Gabriel Erkoreka
Mystik I (1993) 6’
Magnetic Tape
Trio (1993) 7’30”
Flute, Oboe and Clarinet
Nubes I (1994) 6’
Solo Piano
First Performance: 27/05/1994, Aula Magna, Escuela de Música J. Guridi (Vitoria); G. Erkoreka
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Rio Asubio (1994) 8’
Magnetic Tape
Krater (1994) 8’15”
Fl, Cl, Vl, Vc, Mba and Pno
Josiah Parker Prize (Royal Academy of Music, London)
First Performance: 23/03/1995, II Ciclo de Música del Siglo XX (Vitoria); Grupo Instrumental de la Escuela de Música J. Guridi, cond: Juanjo Mena
Publisher: OUP
Nubes II (1995) 6’
Solo Piano
First Performance: 26/10/1998, Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid); Einar Henning Smebye
Publisher: OUP
Dipolo (1995) 8’
Violoncello and Piano
Cuthbert Nunn Prize (RAM, London), and shortlisted by SPNM in 1997
First Performance: 18/04/1996, III Ciclo de Música del Siglo XX (Vitoria); François Manciero y Albert Nieto
Publisher: OUP
Canción y Danza (1995) 7’
Symphony Orchestra
Edward Hecht Prize (RAM)
First Performance: 11/11/1999 Teatro Arriaga (Bilbao); Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, cond: Jan Latham Koenig
Los Tres Arcángeles (1996) 10’
Harp, Guitar and Marimba
Battison Haynes Prize (RAM) and shortlisted by SPNM in 1998
Estreno: 04/10/1997 Bachzaal (Amsterdam); Idske Bakker, Reinhold Westerheide y Ulrich Pohl
Kantak (1996) 9’ 30”
Solo Piccolo, Fl, Ob(+c.ang), Cl (+bcl), Perc, Pno(cel), Vl, Vc and Db
First Prize at the Premio SGAE 1996, selected for the International Gaudeamus Music Week 1998, the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (París) and for the ISCM World Music Days 1998 (Manchester)
First Performance: 16/12/1996, Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid); Tomoka Mukai, Grupo Cámara XXI, cond: Pedro Halffter Caro
Publisher: EMEC
(1996) 10’
Organ
Publisher: OUP
Romance-Pavana (1996) 6’15”
Flute, Viola and Guitar
First Performance: 06/05/1998, Fundación Juan March (Madrid); Synaulia Trío
Eresi (1997) 5’30”
Piccolo and Tape
First Performance: 25/02 /1997, Casa del Cordón (Vitoria); Pedro Basterra
Ilargi (1997) 7’
Solo Viola
Saturno (1997) 9’
Clarinet (+bcl) and Violoncello
Shortlisted by SPNM in 1999
First Performance: 03/02/1998, St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate
St Cyprian's, Clarence Gate
St Cyprian's Church is an Anglican church in the Marylebone district of London. It is dedicated to Saint Cyprian, a third century martyr and Bishop of Carthage....
(London); Members of the Trio Bernaola
Publisher: OUP
Famara (1997,rev.2000) 13’
4233-4331-4perc, timp, Hp, Cel, Strings: 12,10,10,8,6
Commissioned by INAEM and the Royal Academy of Music
First Performance: 13/02/1998 Donatoni Festival at the Royal Academy of Music (London); RAM Symphony Orchestra, cond: André de Ridder
Publisher: OUP
Bizitza (1998) 16’
Mezzo-soprano, Fl(+picc), Cl, Bssn, Perc, Vl, Vc and Db
Text: Bernardo Atxaga
First Performance: 21/05/1998 Musikaste (Rentería); Irina Shikina, Grupo Ostots, cond: Ramon Lazkano
Ramon Lazkano
Ramon Lazkano is a contemporary Spanish Basque composer of classical music.-Career:Ramon Lazkano attended piano and composition classes at the San Sebastián Higher Conservatory of Music, where he obtained a Higher Degree in Composition...
Publisher: OUP
(1998) 10’
Solo Accordion
Prize of the Basque Government 1999
First Performance: 19/05/1999, Musikaste (Rentería); Iñaki Alberdi
Publisher: OUP
Akorda (1998–99) 16’
Solo Accordion, 2222-0221-2Perc,Hp, Strings:10,8,8,6,4
Commissioned by the BOS, financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
First Performance: 13/05/1999, Teatro Ayala (Bilbao); Iñaki Alberdi, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, cond: Juanjo Mena
Publisher: OUP
Biribilketa (1999) 6’30”
Clarinet, Violoncello and Piano
Commissioned by Quincena Musical Donostiarra for Carmelo Bernaola’s 70th Birthday
First Performance: 27/08/1999 Auditorio Kursaal (San Sebastián); Trío Bernaola
Publisher: OUP
Jukal (1999–2000) 12’
Solo Guitar, Ob(+c.ang), Cl(+bcl), Bssn, Perc, Hp, Hpsd, Vla, Vc and Db
Commissioned by the Nieuw Ensemble, Amsterdam
First Performance: 11/04/2000 Proms Paradiso (Amsterdam); Alan Thomas, Nieuw Ensemble, cond: Jurjen Hempel
Publisher: OUP
Duduk I (2000) 8’30”
Solo Soprano Saxophone
Financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
First Performance: 20/11/2000 Festival de Música del Siglo XX (Bilbao); Josetxo Silguero
Publisher: OUP
Jaia (2000) 7’30”
Solo Piano
Commissioned by the Quincena Musical Donostiarra
First Performance: 23/08/2000 Salas del Kursaal (San Sebastián); Jean François Heisser
Publisher: OUP
Duduk II (2000) 8’
Saxophone Quartet
First Performance: 08/10/2002 Auditorio Nacional de Música; Sax-Ensemble de Madrid
Publisher: OUP
Fantasía (2000) 7’30”
Solo Guitar
First Performance: 16/01/2001 Dartington College of Arts; Alan Thomas
Publisher: OUP
Duduk III (2000) 7’
2 Oboes and Cor-Anglais
Commissioned by CDMC for Quodlibet
Publisher: Revista Quodlibet, Universidad de Alcalá
Dos Zortzikos (2000) 10’20”
Solo Piano
First Performance: 21/11/2001, Jornadas de Música Contemporánea (Vigo); Ananda Sukarlan
Publisher: OUP
Izaro (2001) 12’
Fl(+picc), Cl, Vl, Vc, Pno
Commissioned by the Hannover Biennale für Neue Musik
First Performance: 09/06/2001, Markuskirche (Hannover); Das Neue Ensemble
Publisher: OUP
Soinua (2001) 8’
Accordion and Piano
Financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
First Performance: 28/02/2002, International Accordion Festival (Viena); Anaki
Publisher: OUP
Afrika (2002, rev.2004) 16’
Solo Marimba, 2222-4000-2Perc, Hp, Strings: 12,10,8,6,4
Commissioned by the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid y SGAE
First Performance: 25/06/2002, Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid); Pedro Carneiro
Pedro Carneiro
Pedro Carneiro is a Portuguese solo classical percussionist, marimba player, and composer. Pedro Carneiro is one of the very few percussion players to have made an international career as a soloist, and has established himself as one of the world's foremost solo percussionists, performing regularly...
, Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, cond: Juanjo Mena
Publisher: OUP
Tenebrae (2002) 10’
2Ob(II+c.ang), 2Bssn(II+cbn), 2Perc, Hp, 3Vl, 3Vc, Db
Commissioned by JONDE (Joven Orquesta Nacional de España)
First Performance: 08/07/2003, Auditorio de la Junta de Castilla y León, León; Members of the JONDE
Publisher: OUP
Duduk IV (2002) 10’
String Quartet
Financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
Publisher: OUP
Rabel (2003) 12’
Fl, Cl, Vl, Vc
Commissioned by the Ministerio de Cultura
First Performance: 03/04/2003, Crown Hall, Chicago (USA); Perspectives Ensemble
Publisher: OUP
Aldakiak (2003) 13’
Violin, Cello and Piano
Prize of the INAEM and Colegio de España en París
First Performance: 02/10/2003, Festival Internacional de Alicante; Trio Arbós
Publisher: OUP
Kin (2003) 10’
Violoncello and Accordion
First Performance: 05/11/2003, Festival de Música Contemporánea de Bilbao, Museo Guggenheim; David Apellániz (cello) and Iñaki Alberdi
Publisher: OUP
Fauve (2003) 10’
Percussion Quartet
First Performance: 21/11/2003, Festival “Aujourd’hui Musiques”, Perpignan; Neopercusión
Publisher: OUP
Kaila Kantuz (2004) 1’
Piano Solo
Océano (2004) 14’
3333-4331-4Perc,Timp, Hp, Strings: 16,14,12,10,8
Commissioned by Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi
First Performance: 4/10/04; Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao, OSE, Cond: Gilbert Varga
Publisher: OUP
Noche Serena (2005) 15’
Solo Soprano and Cello Octet
Commissioned by Cello Octet “Conjunto Ibérico”-Amsterdam
First Performance: Quincena Musical de San Sebastián
Publisher: OUP
Veni Creator (2005) 25’
SATB , Organ y 2 percussion
Commissioned by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia
First Performance: 02/04/06; Palacio Euskalduna, Bilbao; KUP Taldea, Kevin Bowyer, BOS Percusión, cond: Gabriel Baltes
Rondó (2006) 10’
Bass Cl, String Trio and Piano
Commissioned by the Fundación BBK – “Birth Bicentenary of J.C. de Arriaga”
First Performance: 21/11/06; Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao; LIM, Dir: Jesús Villa-Rojo
Publisher: OUP
Cielo Nocturno (2006) 6’
Baritone and Piano
Text: Fray Luis de León
Commissioned by the Festival ENSEMS 2006
Estreno: 19/05/06; Teatro Talía, Valencia; José Antonio López, Bertomeu Jaume.
Publisher: Piles (Valencia)
Yidaki (2006) 10’
Solo Baritone Saxophone
Commissioned by Pablo Coello, Financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
First Performance: 14/02/07; Salón-Teatro, Santiago de Compostela.
Publisher: OUP
Fuegos (2006–07) 13’
3333-4331-4Perc,Timp, Hp, Cel, Strings: 16,14,12,10,8
Finalist at the "Premio de Composición Reina Sofía 2007"
First Performance: 23/10/08 Teatro Monumental, Madrid. Orquesta de RTVE, cond: Adrian Leaper
Mistral (2007) 9’
Shakuhachi Flute
Commissioned by Kiku Day, Financed by the Dpto. de Cultura del Gobierno Vasco
First Performance: 08/03/2007; SOAS-School Of Oriental and African Studies, London
Haize-Orratz (2007) 8’
Txistu y
Commissioned by Berziztu
First performance: 07/12/07; Feria del Libro, Durango. Aitor Amilibia, José Antonio Hontoria
Publisher: Berziztu
Hamar (2007) 30’
Fl.(picc), Bass-Cl, Trpt, Tbn, 1 Perc, Vl, Vcl.
Commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.
First performance: 15/10/07; Gala of the 10th Anniversary of the Museum's opening. Ensemble Kuraia