Born on November 28, 1931 in Riudoms (Tarragona, Spain) and died in Barcelona on January 1, 2019, Joan Guinjoan’s various contributions to the world of music have encompassed performance, the dissemination of 20th century music and, fundamentally, composition.
1955-1960
Concert pianist
He studied piano in Reus, at the Conservatory of Barcelona with the maestro A. Ribó and at the École Normale de Paris where in 1955 he made his debut as a pianist in the Cortot hall. In this first phase, Guinjoan dedicated his musical life to the piano, giving recitals of the great traditional repertoire in Spain, France and Germany.
1965-1986
Conductor and founder of the Diabolus in Musica chamber ensemble.
In 1965 he founded the ensemble Diabolus in Musica dedicated to the production and diffusion of 20th century music with the collaboration of clarinetist Juli Panyella. During its 20 years of existence, the repertoire of Diabolus in Musica included more than 70 premieres by Spanish and foreign composers. In this concern, it is worth mentioning the first version in Spain of Schoenberg’s Second Symphony Op. 38 in 1975, and the premieres of “Improvisation sur Mallarmé” by Pierre Boulez, the percussion work “Interieur 1” by Helmut Lachenmann, as well as the first Spanish version on disc of the orchestral Suite of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.
1965-2010
Disseminator and promoter of contemporary music.
He spread contemporary music as music critic of the Diario de Barcelona (1967-1975). Also as musical advisor to the Barcelona City Council (1972-1994) he was dedicated to musical initiation in its 9 municipal schools and created and directed the Center for the Diffusion of 20th Century Music. During this same period he created the International Contemporary Music Weeks of the Barcelona City Council. He also created the International Prize of Musical Composition Ciutat de Tarragona (1993-2005), without forgetting the direction of the TVE broadcasts of “Recital” and “Pentagrama Siglo XX” (1970-1975).
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