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Albert Alan Owen

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Albert Alan Owen ARAM (born 1948) is a British composer and musician.

Early life and education

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Owen was born in Bangor, Wales in 1948. His father was Welsh and his mother Latvian (sister of the Latvian composer Alberts Jērums). In 1956 the family moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where Owen grew up.[1] [2] He was educated at Alfred Beit, Ellis Robins, and Oriel Boys' High School in Salisbury (now Harare), and then at the Rhodesian College of Music (run by Eileen Reynolds).[3] He played in the Rhodesian R&B band The Plebs.[4]

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.[5]

Career

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Owen 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 1990-91.[1]

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.[2] He also performed with Katherine Sweeney and Adrian Thompson in the Corilla Ensemble[6] , and with Sweeney, Milada Polasek and Peter Barnaby in the Emeryson Ensemble.[7]

Owen's first recording of his own work, Keyboards and Strings, was released in 1979 while teaching at The John Lyon School and North London Collegiate School in London.[8] Critics praised its "distinctive and original use of tone-colours".[9] His second album, Following the Light was released in 1982,[10] and was described as "an electronic-age tone poem"[11] and "a work of modern impressionism based on many subtle variations of which Debussy himself could have approved".[12] 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.[13]

Owen formed his own production company, Techno Arts Productions, in 1985 to release his recordings.[2]

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.[5] His music has been used in film and TV and performed in the Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room.[6]

Owen moved to Wales in 1990, where he continued to compose and taught classes in theory, harmony and counterpoint at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. His private piano tuition has produced winners of the Urdd and National Eisteddfodau.[1]

In 2002, Owen was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for achieving distinction in the music profession.[1]

In 2019, Owen's 1982 album Following The Light was issued in a new remastering by French label Libreville Records.[14]

In 2023, Owen's new work Chorales was released by Libreville Records.[15]

In 2024, Owen's 1979 album Keyboards and Strings was issued in a new remastering by Libreville Records.[16]

Works and recordings

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1979's Keyboards and Strings cover art - remastered and reissued in 2024
Album title Label Catalogue number Year
Keyboards and Strings Apollo Sound
Libreville Records 		AS1026
LVLP-2311 		1979
The Source of Light New Experience NE010 1980
Debussy, Szymanowski,
Prokofiev, Shostakovich
(with Katherine Sweeney) 		Apollo Sound AS1027 1981
Following the Light Apollo Sound
Chord
Famous
Libreville Records 		AS1029
CDCOLL 2
FAMDAT010
LVLP-1904 		1982
High Places New Experience NE05 1983
Distinctive Themes BTW BTW108 1984
Techno Town Sound Stage (Amphonic) AVF33 1985
High Life Sound Stage (Amphonic) AVF45 1986
Office Hours Sound Stage (Amphonic) AVF47 1987
Globe Trotter Sound Stage (Amphonic) AVF66CD 1989
String Up Tap Records TAPCD04 1996
Voyager Vigiesse CD1050 1997
Us Girls Tap Records TAPCD05 1999
Blue Queen Tap Records TAPCD09 2006
Know This Hear This Tap Records TAPCD11 2007
Chorales AmiciMiei AM-2304 2023

Samples and covers

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  • In 2013, Killabee ft. Lil Phat sampled 'Late Late Show' from High Life on their single 'Call Life'.[17]
  • In 2014, Molts Records Kids covered 'Robot Rock' from High Life on their album La Canalla Balla, Vol. 1.[18]
  • In 2015, Kaytranada sampled 'High Life' from High Life on his track 'Go Ahead'.[19]
  • In 2023, Mndsgn sampled 'S.O.S.' from Distinctive Themes on his track '(My)PLEASURE'. [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Amphonic Music". Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Aberystwyth Arts Centre". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Out of Africa, October 2000" (PDF). pp. 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2004. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Rhodesian Music Website". Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b International Who's Who in Music and Musician's Directory. Vol. 11. Melrose Press. 1988. p. 689.
  6. ^ a b "The Corilla Ensemble" (Press release). 1979.
  7. ^ "'Keyboards and Strings' at discogs.com". Discogs. 1979. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Records". Classical Music Fortnightly. 7 March 1981.
  9. ^ "Record Reviews". Monthly Guide to Recorded Music. June 1982.
  10. ^ "Reviews". Jazz Journal International. July 1983.
  11. ^ "Records". Classical Music Fortnightly. 4 April 1983.
  12. ^ "Reviews". Crescendo. August 1983.
  13. ^ "Monthly British New Age Chart". Music Week. 11 April 1987.
  14. ^ "LIBREVILLE RECORDS - Albert Alan Owen - Following The Light". Libreville Records. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  15. ^ "LIBREVILLE RECORDS - Albert Alan Owen - Chorales". Libreville Records. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  16. ^ "LIBREVILLE RECORDS - Albert Alan Owen - Keyboards and Strings". Libreville Records. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Call Life". YouTube. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Robot Rock (Niño Version)". Molts Records. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  19. ^ "KAYTRANADA's 'Go Ahead'". WhoSampled. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Mndsgn feat. Liv.e's '(My)PLEASURE'". WhoSampled. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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