Miguel del Águila

Life

Three-time Grammy nominated Uruguayan-American composer Miguel del Águila was born in Montevideo. In more than 115 works that couple drama and driving rhythm with nostalgic nods to his South American roots, del Águila is considered among the most distinctive composers of the postmodern. His music has been performed worldwide by over 60 orchestras, by thousands of ensembles and soloists, and recorded on 32 CDs. His training took place in both the Americas and Europe.

In 1978, del Águila moved to California, fleeing Uruguay's 1970's repressive military government. After graduating from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music he traveled to Vienna, where he studied at the Hochschule für Musik and Konservatorium. Early premieres of his works in Vienna’s Musikverein, Konzerthaus and Bösendorfer halls introduced his music and distinctive Latin sound to European audiences. In 1989, del Águila introduced his works in New York's Carnegie Hall. Lukas Foss premiered del Águila's Hexen with Brooklyn Philharmonic. CDs of his works were released on Albany Records and KKM-Austria by 1990.

Del Águila returned to the U.S. in 1992, where soon The Los Angeles Times described him as "one of the West Coast's most promising and enterprising young composers." He received the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award in 1995, and was music director of Ojai Camerata until 1999.

In the 1990s his works were performed at Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Opera House, and in most European capitals. In 2010 he received two Latin Grammy nominations, for the CD Salón Buenos Aires and for his work Clocks. In 2015 a third Grammy nomination for his Concierto en Tango which, two years after its premiere has already been scheduled 25 orchestra performances worldwide.

His works are recorded on Naxos, Dorian, Telarc, New Albion, Albany, Centaur and Eroica among others and published by Peermusic Classical.

Compositions

Chamber Chamber works without piano

BOLIVIANA guitar and string quartet 20'

HERBSTTAG (Autumn Day) fl, bn,harp 7:30'

HEXEN bn,string ensemble 12'

LIFE IS A DREAM string quartet 15'

MALAMBO bassoon and string quartet 13'

NOSTALGICA string qtet.,bassoon 19'

PACIFIC SERENADE string quartet, clarinet (opt.sax) 16'

PRESTO A CUATRO guitar quartet (opt.:4guit.4strgs) 6:00'

PRESTO II string quartet 6'

SUBMERGED - flute, viola, harp 10'

THE DAY AFTER four cellos 3

WIND QUINTET No.2 - fl,ob,cl,hn,bn 30'

PROCESSION OF LUNATICS four cellos 9'

Chamber works with piano

BROKEN RONDO English horn, pno. 13'

CARIBBEAN BACCHANAL - 2 pianos/8 hands 13'

CHARANGO CAPRICCIOSO string quartet,piano 14'

CLARINET CONCERTO cl, pno 17'

CLOCKS string quartet,pno. 17'

CONGA-LINE IN HELL 1111-1111-hrp,1perc,pno. vl,va,vc,cb.11'

CONGA-LINE IN HELL fl,cl,harp,piano,1perc,8 cellos. 11''

CONGA-LINE IN HELL - six pianos 13'

HEXEN (Witches) bn,pno 12'

LATIN LOVE wind quintet,pno. 2005

MALAMBO bassoon and piano 13'

MIAMI FLUTE SUITE - flute and piano 23:00'

PACIFIC SERENADE clarinet and piano (opt.sax) 16'

RETURN vl,pno.15'

SALON BUENOS AIRES - fl,cl, vl,vla,vc,pno. 23:00'

SEDUCCION flute,cl,piano 9'

SEDUCCION DANCE fl,ob,pno or fl,bn,pno) 9'

SEDUCCION - vl,piano. 7''

SEXTET piano and wind quintet 8

SILENCE - violin and piano 10:00'

SILENCE - clarinet and piano 10:00'

SUMMER SONG - oboe,pno. 16'

SUNSET SONG - bassoon,pno 18'

TANGO TRIO - vl,cello,pno. 12'

TANGO TRIO - cl,cello,pno. (opt:ob,cello pno) 12'

TANGO TRIO - ob,bn,pno. (opt:cl,bn,pno) 12'

Orchestral

Orchestra

BACK IN TIME - 3222,4331, 4 perc, 9:30'

CARIBBEAN BACCHANAL - 3333-4331,hrp, pno. perc. 13'

CARIBEÑA - orch. (2222-4221-pno-timp+2, strings) 8'

CARIBEÑA - ch. orch. (1111-1110-pno-timp+1, strings) 8'

CHAUTAUQUAN SUMMER - full orch. 13'

SALON BUENOS AIRES - orchestra 20'

CONGA - 2222,3221,pno, hrp, 12'

CONGA-LINE IN HELL 1111-1111-hrp,1perc,pno. vl,va,vc,cb.11'

THE FALL OF CUZCO - full orch. 20'

THE GIANT GUITAR - full orch. 7'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS OVERTURE - full orch. 9'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS CHORAL SUITE - choir,orch 17'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS SUITE 2 - orch/choir, solo tenor 33'

TOCCATA - 2222-2111, large perc,pno,str. 8'

Solo instrument / voice and orchestra

BROKEN RONDO solo English horn and orch. 13'

CLARINET CONCERTO solo Clarinet and orch. 25'

CONCIERTO EN TANGO solo cello and orch. 18'

CONCIERTO EN TANGO solo viola and orch. 18'

CONCIERTO EN TANGO solo string quartet and orch. 18'

IT IS SO COLD TONIGHT solo high voice and orchestra 9'

ISLAMORADA solo piano and string orchestra 9:30

HEXEN solo bassoon and string orch. 12'

PIANO CONCERTO solo piano and orch. 25'

RETURN TO HOMELAND solo violin and orch. 15'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS CHORAL SUITE - choir,orch 17'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS SUITE No.2 - orch. choir, solo tenor 33'

VIOLIN CONCERTO solo violin and orch, 27'

Choral/vocal

AGNUS DEI - med-high voice, pno. 7'

ALBUQUERQUE - barbershop quartet 3'

AVE MARIA - treble chorus and piano (opt Hrp) 5'

COMPOSER MISSING - chamber opera: choir, S,A,T,B soli 90'

CUAUHTEMOC - full length opera: orch,choir soli 3 hrs.

CUAUHTEMOC CHORAL SUITE - choir,3 soli,pno,perc 35'

CUAUHTEMOC SONGS - T,B,S soli and piano 50'

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT - ch choir, wind quartet, harp. 8'

IT IS SO COLD TONIGHT - tenor (opt. sopr. and orchestra) 7'

LACRYMOSA - med-high voice,piano 7:30'

OPHELIA IN SEVILLE - sopr, tenor, fl, cl, tbn, 2 vlns, vla, vc 16'

SALVA ME - choir a cappella (opt. piano) 7'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS - Opera in two acts: chorus, orchestra. alto, tenor and other soli. 150'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS CHORAL SUITE - orchestra, mixed chorus. 17'

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS CHORAL SUITE No.2. Same plus overture, solo tenor. 29'

TROUBADOURS - mixed choir, opt. pno., 10'

Chamber arrangements:

L'ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGES (Ravel)

RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY (Weill)

Piano and solo Instrument

CONGA 10'

FOUR HAND ETUDE - pno. 4-hands 4'

HALF OF ME - pno. left hand only. 8'

MUSIC IN A BOTTLE - 10'

NOCTURNE 8'

PIANO SONATA No.2 15'

TOCCATA - 5'

VALS BRUTAL 5'

Harpsichord / organ

BELLS WITH A MISSION - solo organ 15'

ONE OF YOU - solo organ, 14'

PICTURES FROM AMERICA - harpsichord 13'

TOCCATA - harpsichord 3:30'

OTHER

TENNESSEE - guitar 11:30'

CUTTING LIMES - violin 4'

Dance, film, TV

ACONGA-LINE IN HELL - Choreography by Annabella Gonzalez for Annabella Gonzalez Dance Theater (New York)

CONVERGENCE (Silence/Seducción) - choreography by Brett Weidlich - Dance ART Ensemble/Ventura County Ballet - Focus on the Masters, Ventura, California

DANSAQ - (PRESTO II) - Choreographed by Mari Fujibayashi and Olivia Rosenkrantz for Tapage Dance Ensemble (New York)

TIME AND AGAIN BARELAS DANCES - Choreography by David Vega Chavez for New Mexico Ballet Dancers and New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. (Albuquerque, NM)

CLOCKS - Choreography by Minou Lallemand for Onium Ballet Project and Chamber Music Hawaii. (Honolulu, Hawaii)

CAPADOCIA (Third Season) - (SUNDIAL 2000 B.C. from CLOCKS)

Co-production: HBO Latin America and Argos Productions. Episode 36 "Taller con olor a muerto"

Written by Laura Sosa, Leticia López Margalli, Guillermo Ríos Joaquín Guerrero Casasola and Carmen Madrid

Directed by Javier Patrón, Carlos Carrera, Pitipol Ybarra. Starring Ana de la Reguera, Alejandro Camacho, Juan Manuel Berna, Dolores Heredia, Héctor Arredondo, Cecilia Suárez, Cristina Umaña, Marco Treviño...

NATURALEZA QUIETA a documentary series produced by TV UNAM, Mexico

Directed by Marcos Limenes and Carolina Kerlow

Episodes: Sin aventuras no hay arte and El centro del equilibrio

Links

Woodard, Josef. 2000. Los Angeles Times articles about Miguel del Aguila

Dirk Meyer, Chamber Orchestra and Ensemble Repertoire

Yew Chong Cheung. 2009. "An Introduction to the Solo Piano Works of Three Latin American Composers". D.M.A. thesis. Morgantown: West Virginia University.

Mukhamedzyanova, Dina. "Miguel del Aguila: 'Write the music that comes from your heart without caring about what's fashionable or what the rest of the world thinks you should be writing'". Musika Rossii (The Music of Russia).

Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism...

Frank Oteri, Sounds Heard, New Music Box - New Music USA

Latin American Composers

Official Web Site

Peermusic Classical: Miguel del Aguila Composer's Publisher and Bio

Clariperu Magazine - Miguel del Aguila

International Double Reed Society Magazine - Miguel del Aguila - Broken Rondo

Biographical Dictionary of the Organ - Miguel del Aguila