Catalan composer Benet Casablancas has been awarded the 20th SGAE Tomás Luis de Victoria Ibero-American Music Prize, endowed with 20,000 euros. The jury valued the quality of his work, his aesthetic capacity, and his mastery of orchestration. Casablancas thanked the SGAE for its support and noted that the true prize for an author is the dissemination and permanence of their works.
The process behind a technically precise orchestration 🎼
Casablancas's work is distinguished by a detailed use of instrumentation and a complex harmonic structure. His method combines formal analysis with a writing style that seeks clarity in each orchestral section. In his scores, each instrument fulfills a defined function, avoiding unnecessary accumulation. This technical approach, which requires a deep knowledge of acoustics and ensemble dynamics, is one of the aspects the jury highlighted when awarding him the prize.
The dissemination of the work: the prize not counted in euros 🎧
Casablancas said that the true prize is the dissemination and permanence of his works. A statement that sounds very nice until the composer checks that on Spotify his symphonies have fewer plays than a video of a cat playing the piano. But hey, the 20,000 euros also help to buy sheet music, or at least a good batch of paper and ink to keep writing.