Catalonian composer Xavier Montsalvatge began violin lessons at the age of nine, around the same time as his father's death and his move to Barcelona to live with his grandfather. This move later allowed him to attend the Barcelona Conservatory and numerous concerts that greatly influenced him. His teachers at the conservatory were Francisco Costa for violin and Enrique Morera and Jaume Pahissa for composition. He himself became a teacher at the school in 1933. His first important works were the 1934 Tres impromptus for piano, for which he won the Rabell prize from the Patxot Foundation, and the Suite burlesca, for which he won the Pedrell prize in 1936. Rejecting the legacies of Wagner and Richard Strauss that dominated in Spain ……..

All Music Guide

The rich and sonorous choir piece Solrosen och Molnet by Lars-Erik Rosell is combined with my Requiem for soprano, choir, strings and synthesizer on this cd that displays the capacity and talent of one of Sweden's finest choirs guided by conductor Anders Eby who has been an important influence on me and a reason for my continuing and growing interest in the choir as an instrument.

Mattias Skold at his own website