BORN 8 APRIL
Iris Litchfield was a mathematician turned composer and possessed a First Class Honours degree in mathematics from London University. She started playing the piano at the age of 5, back in the day when music teachers used to hit the hands of students every time a wrong note was played! In spite of this, Iris passed all the practical exams for the piano and clarinet.
With her attention turned to composition in retirement, Iris wrote beautiful and timeless contemporary classical piano music. In addition to her compositions released by Salvatori Productions, Iris had music released on CDs in the UK, USA, France, Germany, Holland and Korea. She also had a contract to compose for Northstar Music, UK.
In her award winning work published by Salvatori Productions, Inc. the Steinway grand piano tracks featured on “Ever Ever On”, “When Evening Falls” and “Romantic Interludes” were recorded at Doz Studio, UK by (late) engineer Ollie Nicholls. The piano tracks on “The Silence of My Being”, “Dream Clouds” and “Life’s Journey” were recorded at Clowns Pocket Recording Studio, Bexley, Kent, UK by engineer Derek Nash.
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ROSA GARCÍA ASCOT - SPAIN
BORN 8 APRIL
Rosa García Ascot was a Spanish composer and pianist. From 1914 she began his musical studies at the hands of outstanding teachers such as Felipe Pedrell and Enrique Granados, which was a student until 1916. That same year she began to study with Manuel de Falla. Cadiz teacher was her teacher until 1931 and taught her to appreciate the work of the classical and Impressionist music. Later, during his stay in Paris in 1939, she received lessons from the composer Nadia Boulanger.
She was the only woman in the famed Group of Eight, whose members also included Julián Bautista, Ernesto Halffter and his brother Rodolfo, Juan José Mantecón, Fernando Remacha, Salvador Bacarisse and Jesús Bal y Gay. She married Bal y Gay in 1933. Her more notable compositions include Suite para orquesta (Suite for orchestra), Preludio (Prelude), and the Concierto para piano y orquesta (Concerto for piano and orchestra).
García Ascot was a remarkable interpreter of the piano literature of failure. He/She was responsible for brand new, next to the composer, the version for piano four-hands of nights in the gardens of Spain in the room Paris Gaveaux, and during his stay in England, France and Mexico, took to give recitals by several cities of these countries.
García Ascot was an exponent of Manuel de Falla's music as a concert pianist and is also considered the latter's last disciple. Before studying with de Falla in Madrid, she was a pupil of Felipe Pedrell, and later studied with Enrique Granados. She spent 10 years in the early part of her career actively touring as a concert soloist and recitalist. Afterwards, her public concerts were relatively few and always in very special circumstances. She died almost a month after her 100th birthday.
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Suite de Rosa García Ascot
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