Aponte-Ledée, Rafael
Aponte-Ledée, Rafael
Aponte-Ledée, Rafael, Puerto Rican composer and teacher; b. Guayama, Oct. 15, 1938. He studied composition at the Madrid Cons. (1957–63), where he completed his training with C. Halffter (1963–64); then took courses with Ginastera at the Latin American Center of Advanced Musical Studies at the Di Telia Inst. in Buenos Aires (1965–66). Returning to Puerto Rico, he founded in San Juan, with the collaboration of Francis Schwartz, the Fluxus group for the promotion of new music (1967); taught composition and theory at the Univ. of Puerto Rico (1968–74) and at the Puerto Rico Cons, (from 1968). His music is highly advanced, employing nearly every conceivable technique of the cosmopolitan avant-garde.
Works
Tema y 6 Diferencias for Piano (1963; rev. 1986); Dialogantes 1 for Flute and Violin (1965) and 2 for 3 Flutes, 3 Trombones, and 3 Clarinets (1968); Elejia for 13 Strings (1965; also for 50 Strings, 1967); Presagio de Pájaros muertos for Narrator and Tape (1966); Impulsos: In memoriam Julia de Burgos for Orch. (1967); Epíthasis for 3 Oboes, 2 Trombones, Double Bass, and 3 Percussionists (1967); La ventana abierta for 3 Mezzo-sopranos, 3 Flutes, Clarinet, Trumpet, 2 Percussionists, Celesta, Piano, Violin, Cello, and Double Bass (1968; also for 3 Mezzo-sopranos, Flutes, Clarinet, 2 Trumpets, Horn, 2 Percussionists, Guitar, Piano, and 2 String Quartets, 1969); Streptomicyne for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, and Piano (1970); SSSSSS2 for Double Bass, 3 Flutes, Trumpet, and Percussion (1971); Volúmenes for Piano (1971); Elvira en sombras for Piano and Orch. (1973); Estravagario, In memoriam Salvador Allende for Orch. and Tape (1973); Cuidese de los angeles que caen, musique concrète (1974); Los huevos de Pandora for Clarinet and Tape (1974); El palacio en sombras for Orch. without Violins and Cellos (1977); Estas sombras for Prepared Piano (1978); A flor de piel for 2 Sopranos and Orch. (1980); Asiento en el Paraíso for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1984); Dos cuentos for Orch. (1986); Cantata for Soli and Orch. (1986); 3 Bagatelles for Guitar (1987); Azaleas for Clarinet (1988); La muchacha de la bragas de oro for Orch. (1989); Camion de albada y Epitafio for Orch. (1991).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire