Leonora Milà Romeu facts for kids
Leonora Milà Romeu (born in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain, in 1942) is a talented Spanish pianist and composer. She has created many musical pieces and performed all over the world.
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About Leonora Milà
Leonora Milà was born in 1942 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a town near Barcelona. Music was a big part of her family. Her father, Josep Milà, was a cellist, playing in famous orchestras like the Orquestra Pau Casals.
Leonora started playing piano at a very young age. She was so good that people called her a "child prodigy." When she was just six years old, she performed two concerts at the Palau de la Música Catalana. She even played a piece she had composed herself! She also performed a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the Orquestra Ciutat de Barcelona.
Her International Career
Leonora's international journey began when she was only 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 famous Royal Albert Hall. She played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Rudolph Dunbar.
Leonora Milà won the Maria Canals International Music Competition in 1966. She also became a finalist in the Concorso Internazionale Viotti in Italy. Throughout her career, she has been both a great performer and a creative composer.
Breaking New Ground
Leonora has toured extensively in Europe, the United States, and Asia. She made history in 1979 by becoming the first Spanish artist to perform in the People's Republic of China. Later, in 1988, she recorded an album with the China National Symphony Orchestra.
She also became 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 15th-century book. Leonora composed the music, and Russian dancer Yuri Petukhov created the choreography. For this amazing work, she received the International Catalan Culture Prize in 1995. The ballet was later performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in 1996.
Her Compositions and Recordings
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 composed songs for voice and piano, using words from famous poets like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. She also created two short ballets, "The Flight of Painter Lee" and "Drame à trois."
Leonora has released more than thirty albums. She has performed as a solo artist and with many well-known orchestras. Her albums feature music by great 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 especially praised. She is also known for her interpretations of Spanish composers like Manuel de Falla and Isaac Albéniz.
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 She Has Played With
Leonora Milà has performed with many famous 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 She Has Worked With
Leonora Milà has collaborated 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
External Links
- 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
