Carles Santos facts for kids
Carles Santos (born July 1, 1940 – died December 4, 2017) was a very creative artist from Spain. He started his career as a talented pianist. But he didn't stop there! He also became a composer, filmmaker, writer, actor, and even created amazing stage shows. He explored many different art forms, like photography, poetry, and sculpture.
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About Carles Santos
Carles Santos was born in a town called Vinaròs in Spain. He began learning music at a famous school in Barcelona. He won awards that helped him study even more in Paris and Switzerland.
In 1961, he started performing as a pianist. He played music by famous composers like Béla Bartók and Arnold Schoenberg. He also worked with other artists, including Joan Brossa and John Cage, who were known for their experimental art.
In the late 1960s, Carles Santos started making films. He created short films, full movies, and documentaries. He worked with other directors and even directed his own first short film, L'Apat, in 1967.
During the 1970s, he focused more on playing his own music. His compositions were simple but also had touches of romantic, traditional Spanish, and modern music. He performed at many important music festivals around the world. He wanted his shows to be exciting and not boring, especially for new kinds of music!
In the 1980s, Carles Santos began creating unique musical shows for the stage. These shows were often very grand and surprising. He performed them in famous places like the Sydney Opera House. He used humor and unexpected ideas to make people think differently about art. He used his shows to share his feelings and ideas.
Carles Santos was asked to create music for big events. This included the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. He also composed music for the opening of the 2001 Biennial of Arts in Valencia.
In 2006, a big exhibition of his work was held in Barcelona. It was called Visca el Piano, which means Long Live the Piano. The show featured videos of his stage performances, photos, and even sculptures. One amazing sculpture was a piano that could dance around the room by itself! It played music while moving, avoiding everything in its path.
In 2009, he was a special guest artist at the Fira Mediterrania in Manresa, Spain.
Awards and Prizes
Carles Santos received many awards for his amazing work:
- 1990 National Composition Award from the Government of Catalonia
- 1993 City of Barcelona Award (for best music)
- 1996 City of Barcelona Award (for international recognition)
- 1999 Creu de Sant Jordi (a high honor from Catalonia)
- 2000 Premios Max (for best movie music)
- 2000 Barcelona Critics' Award (for best musical show)
- 2001 Premios Max (for best composition and music direction)
- 2002 Premios Max (for best musical composition)
- 2003 Premios Max (for best music direction and composition)
- 2005 Premios Max (for best musical show, direction, and composition)
- 2006 Gold Medal from the Circulo de Bellas Artes
- 2008 Premio Nacional de Música (National Music Award)
- 2009 Medal from the Jaume I University of Castelló
Music Albums
Here are some of the albums Carles Santos released:
- 1977 Piano - Works by Cowell, Cage, Webern, Stockhausen and Mestres-Quadreny
- 1981 Voice Tracks
- 1984 Pianotrack
- 1986 Unexpected Disturbance
- 1988 Carles Santos: Piano
- 1989 Five Voices
- 1991 Belmonte
- 1992 Music for the Barcelona 92 Olympic Ceremonies
- 1993 Promenade Concert: Musical for an original action by Xavier Olivé.
- 1995 Hymn of the Second Catalan Congress of Cooking
- 1995 The Pig and Vibrating Keyboard
- 1998 A Finger is a Finger
- 2001 The Farewell of Lucrezia Borgia
- 2006 Amores Cage
Film Work
Carles Santos composed music for many films and also directed some himself.
Music for Films
He created music for full-length movies like:
- 1968 Nocturn 29
- 1970 Cuadecuc, vampir
- 1975 General Report
- 1977 The Dark History of Cousin Montse
- 1981 Vertigo in Manhattan
- 1981 Barcelona South
- 1984 Angel Bread
- 1990 Warsaw Bridge
- 1988 It's when I sleep that I see clearly
- 1989 The Warsaw Bridge
- 1998 The Pianist
- 2007 The Silence Before Bach
He also composed music for many short films, including:
- 1969 Miró the Other
- 1970 Catalan Poets
- 1972 Umbracle
- 1973 Labor Lawyers
- 1979 Labyrinth
- 1992 Art in Catalonia
Films Directed by Carles Santos
Carles Santos also directed his own films, such as:
- 1967 L'apat
- 1967 The Spectator. Room with a Clock. The Light. Conversation
- 1968 The Chair
- 1969 Chopin Prelude, Opus 28 No. 7
- 1970 Play-back (with Pere Portabella)
- 1972 Santos Action (with Pere Portabella)
- 1974 Chopin Prelude, Opus 28 No. 18
- 1977 The Pianist and the Conservatory
- 1977 682-3133 Buffalo Minnesota
- 1978 Piece for Four Pianos
- 1979 La Re Mi La
Stage Musical Shows
Here are some of the unique musical shows Carles Santos created for the stage:
- 1983 Beethoven, if I close the lid . . . what happens?
- 1983 Is the fine shell of China fine?
- 1985 Arganchulla, Arganchulla Gallac
- 1989 Tramuntana Tremens
- 1991 The Hair of Pasqual Picanya
- 1992 Asdrúbila
- 1995 The Splendid Shame of the Badly Done Deed
- 1996 Figasantos-fagotrop: message on the answering machine, we'll have dinner at nine
- 1996 The Imperial Panther
- 2000 Ricardo and Elena
- 2000 The Barber of Seville
- 2006 The Fervor of Perseverance
- 2008 Brossalobrossotdebrossat
See also
In Spanish: Carles Santos Ventura para niños
