ÀNGEL RECASENS (1938-2007)
Teacher, organist, composer and conductor, born in Cambrils in 1938. After taking his first music lessons from his uncle, the operatic tenor Salvador Recasens, he joined the Escolania Choir of Montserrat, receiving his musical training from the maestros Anselm Ferré and David Pujol. He continued studying piano and organ at the Royal Conservatoire of the Barcelona Liceu, where he graduated with the highest honours. He went on to perfect his talents with the pianists Fructuós Piqué and Alexandre Ribó i Vall, the composer Frederic Musset, and the great cellist and conductor, Antonio Janigro. He soon began to focus his musical career on conducting and in 1973 he founded the Quartet de Madrigalistes, a group of soloists specialising in Spanish Renaissance music, with whom he had great success throughout Spain, France, and Germany. Between 1975 and 1986, he achieved spectacular results with the Sant Esteve Choir of Vila-seca and Salou (Tarragona), giving almost four hundred concerts in twenty different countries in Europe and America. He won five first prizes and two second prizes in international competitions. The public and critics considered him an authority in the field of choral and vocal music in Spain.
He was known throughout Europe for the applied music teaching methods he practised at the Professional Music Conservatoire of Vila-seca and Salou until 1986. In addition to the Vila-seca and Salou conservatoire, Recasens also founded five other municipal music schools, an international music course and two international festivals. A tireless researcher and analyst, he gave more than 150 seminars, conferences and courses on choir conducting in Germany, France, Mexico, Cuba and Spain.