Leonora Milà Romeu facts for kids
Leonora Milà Romeu (born in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain, in 1942) is a talented Catalan pianist and composer. She has amazed audiences around the world with her music.
Contents
About Leonora Milà
Early Life and Musical Talent
Leonora Milà was born in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a town near Barcelona, in 1942. Music was a big part of her family life. Her father, Josep Milà, was a cellist. He played in famous orchestras like the Orquestra Pau Casals.
Leonora started playing piano at a very young age. She was taught by Maria Canals, a well-known music teacher. People called Leonora a "child prodigy" because of her amazing talent. When she was just six years old, in 1949, she performed two concerts at the Palau de la Música Catalana. She played a piece she had written herself. She also performed a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an orchestra.
Starting an International Career
Leonora Milà's international career began when she was 12. She played piano pieces by Spanish composers Enric Granados and Manuel de Falla on a BBC television show in London. A year later, in 1955, she returned to London. She performed Manuel de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain" at the Royal Albert Hall. She played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Achievements as a Performer and Composer
Leonora Milà won the Maria Canals International Music Competition in 1966. She also reached the finals of another competition in Italy. Throughout her career, she has been both a great performer and a creative composer.
She has toured many countries in Europe, the United States, and Asia. In 1979, she became the first Spanish artist to perform in China. Later, in 1988, she recorded an album with the China National Symphony Orchestra.
Creating the Tirant lo Blanc Ballet
Leonora Milà made history as the first female composer to have a ballet premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia. This ballet was called Tirant lo Blanc. It was based on a famous old story from the 15th century. Russian dancer and choreographer Yuri Petukhov turned the story into a two-hour ballet. Leonora Milà wrote all the music for it.
For her work on Tirant lo Blanc, she received the International Catalan Culture Prize in 1995. The ballet was later performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in 1996. A film director, Antoni Ribas, even filmed the ballet. It was shown on Spanish television and released on DVD.
Leonora Milà's Musical Works
Leonora Milà has written over 100 musical pieces. Some of her most famous works include four concertos for piano and orchestra. She is also known for her popular "Habaneras" piano recordings. She has written songs for voice and piano using words from famous poets. She also composed two short ballets, "The Flight of Painter Lee" and "Drame à trois." These were recorded by the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra.
Leonora Milà has released more than thirty albums. She has performed as a solo artist and with many famous orchestras. Her albums feature music by great European composers like Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn. Her performance of J. S. Bach's "Das Wohltemperierte Klavier" is highly praised. She is also well-known for playing music by classic Spanish composers. These include Manuel de Falla, Enric Granados, Isaac Albéniz, and Joaquín Turina.
Her music is published and shared by companies in New York and Barcelona.
Selected Albums
Here are some of the albums Leonora Milà has released:
- Piano concertos (Maurice Ravel. 1973)
- Manuel de Falla tribute (1976)
- Carnaval (Robert Schumann. 1978)
- Piano Works (C. Debussy, L. Milà. 1981)
- Das Wohltemperierte Klavier (J. S. Bach. 1983)
- Spanish music for piano and orchestra (Falla, Milà, Turina i Guridi. 1986)
- Spanish Music (Falla, Turina, Guridi, Milà. 1986)
- Triple Concerto (L. van Beethoven. 1990)
- Tirant lo Blanc Ballet (L. Milà. 1992)
- Habaneras for piano (L. Milà. 1992)
- Piano works (Manuel de Falla i Enric Granados. 1994)
- Inventionen und Sinfonien (J. S. Bach. 1996)
- Music for two choreographies (L. Milà. 2000)
- Milà plays Falla (Manuel de Falla. 2009)
- Piano Works (Schumann & Mendelssohn. 2013)
Orchestras and Groups Leonora Milà Has Played With
Leonora Milà has performed with many orchestras and musical groups around the world, including:
- London Philharmonic Orchestra
- Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
- Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
- Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
- Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo
- Orquesta Sinfónica de Radiotelevisión Española
- Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya
- Manila Symphony Orchestra
- Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra of Mussorgsky Theatre
- Central Philharmonic of China (China National Symphony Orchestra)
- China National Chamber Orchestra
- Paderewski Philharmonic Orchestra
- Staatsorchester Braunschweig
- Perth Symphony Orchestra
- Dundee Philharmonic Orchestra
- North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra
- Gävleborgs Symfoniorkester
- Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Lódzkiej
- Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Rybnicka
- Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Poznańskiej
- Camerata Eduard Toldrà
- The Arctic Chamber Orchestra of Alaska
- Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra Pablo Sarasate
- The Slovak State Philharmonic Kosice
- Orchestre Du Domaine Musical
- Berliner Streichquintett
- Quartet de Barcelona
Conductors Leonora Milà Has Worked With
She has also worked with many talented conductors, such as:
- Eduard Toldrà
- Jacques Bodmer
- Jonas Alber
- Rudolph Dunbar
- Li Delun
- Moshe Atzmon
- Pierre Colombo
- Bela de Csillery
- Renard Czajkowski
- Miguel Ángel Gómez Martínez
- Han Zhongjie
- Joan Pich Santasusana
- John Pritchard
- Alun Francis
- En Shao
- Gordon Wright
- Brian Wright
- Radomil Eliska
- Urs Voegelin
- Salvador Brotons
More Information
- Official website of Leonora Milà
- Official website of Catalan Composers Association
- Website of CatClàssica
- Website of El far blau produccions SL. Independent Catalan production company responsible of "Leonora Milà. The Intuitively Talented" (documentary).
See also
In Spanish: Leonora Milà i Romeu para niños
