Albert Alan Owen
Albert Alan Owen ARAM (born 1948) is a Welsh composer and musician.
Biography
Owen was born in Bangor, Wales in 1948. His father was Welsh and his mother Latvian (sister of the noted Latvian composer Alberts Jērums). In 1956 the family moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where Owen grew up.[1] He was educated at Alfred Beit, Ellis Robins, and Oriel High School in Salisbury (now Harare), and then at the Rhodesian College of Music (run by Eileen Reynolds).[2] He played in the noted Rhodesian R&B band The Plebs).[3]
Leaving Rhodesia in 1966 to continue his musical education in London, Owen studied piano with Harold Craxton and Angus Morrison and composition with Patrick Savill. Owen went to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger (whom he continued seeing till her death in 1979) and piano with Jacques Février between 1969 and 1971. Returning to England, he went on to win the Charles Lucas Medal and Lady Holland Prize for composition at the Royal Academy of Music, and was a finalist in the National Piano Concerto Competition in 1974.[4] He taught piano at the Junior School of the Royal Academy of Music for fifteen years, and also taught a number of courses at the Working Men's College for twelve years, and was the Dean of Studies there in 1990/1991.
In the mid-1970s, Owen performed with David Russell and Simon Climie as the leader of the classical fusion group Erato, playing classical, free jazz and electronic improvisation. He also performed with Katherine Sweeney and Adrian Thompson in the Corilla Ensemble, and with Sweeney, Milada Polasek and Peter Barnaby in the Emeryson Ensemble.
Continuing to compose while teaching at a number of schools (including The John Lyon School and North London Collegiate School) in London, Owen’s first recording of his own work, Keyboards and Strings was released in 1979.[5] Critics praised its "distinctive and original use of tone-colours".[6] His second album, Following the Light was released in 1982,[7] and was described as "an electronic-age tone poem"[8] and "a work of modern impressionism based on many subtle variations of which Debussy himself could have approved".[9] In 1987, it was included in the CD The Manhattan Collection (which included works by Keith Emerson), reached number 8 on the New Age chart, and was number 1 on the MP3.com Classical Minimalist chart in 2000 for many weeks.[10]
He formed his own production company, Techno Arts Productions in 1985, under whose label he continues to release recordings.
In 1985, he was asked to compose and arrange the finale of the Halley's Comet Royal Gala at the Wembley Conference Centre, a piece which used the massed forces of the New Symphony Orchestra, the London Chorale and the Royal Corps of Transport Band.[4] His music has been widely used in film and TV and performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room.[1]
Owen moved to Wales in 1990, where he has continued to compose as well as teaching classes in theory, harmony and counterpoint at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. He also continues to teach piano privately and has produced many winners of the Urdd and National Eisteddfodau.[1]
In 2002, Owen was elected to be an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for achieving distinction in the music profession.
Works / recordings
| Album title | Label | Catalogue number |
|---|---|---|
| Keyboards and Strings | Apollo Sound | AS1026 |
| Debussy, Szymanowski, Prokofiev, Shostakovich (with Katherine Sweeney) |
Apollo Sound | AS1027 |
| Following the Light | Apollo Sound Chord Famous |
AS1029 CDCOLL 2 FAMDAT010 |
| Themes | BTW | BTW108 |
| Techno Town | Sound Stage (Amphonic) | AVF33 |
| High Life | Sound Stage (Amphonic) | AVF45 |
| Office Hours | Sound Stage (Amphonic) | AVF47 |
| Globe Trotter | Sound Stage (Amphonic) | AVF66CD |
| High Places | New Experience | NE05 |
| The Source of Light | New Experience | NE010 |
| Voyager | Vigiesse | CD1050 |
| String Up | Tap Records | TAPCD04 |
| Us Girls | Tap Records | TAPCD05 |
| Blue Queen | Tap Records | TAPCD09 |
| Know This Hear This | Tap Records | TAPCD11 |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Aberystwyth Arts Centre". Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ "Out of Africa, October 2000". Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ "Rhodesian Music Website". Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 International Who's Who in Music and Musician's Directory 11. Melrose Press. 1988. p. 689.
- ↑ Classical Music Monthly. March 1981.
- ↑ Monthly Guide to Recorded Music. June 1982.
- ↑ Jazz Journal International. July 1983.
- ↑ Classical Music Monthly. April 1983.
- ↑ Crescendo. August 1983.
- ↑ Music Week. 11 April 1987.