PRESS
“Alejandro Román (1971) is a solid Spanish composer capable of zigzagging between techniques and styles that he knows very well to achieve a consistently interesting personal aesthetic.”
TOMÁS MARCO, SCHERZO
“Alejandro Román stands out on the Spanish scene as one of the most interesting creators of his generation. His chamber and symphonic music, which includes more than seventy compositions, is eclectic, original and very personal. Román’s work denotes a deep reflection on the musical trends of the 20th century, on his positioning between tradition and the avant-garde, on the relationship between the most avant-garde music and his own need to communicate through his captivating sound world full of sensuality and elegance.”
RUTH PRIETO, EL COMPOSITOR HABLA
“27 pianists of all nationalities gathered at the Joaquín Rodrigo Auditorium in Las Rozas to participate in the seventeenth edition of the Spanish Composers Piano Competition (CIPCE). The opening concert was given by the young and renowned pianist Leonel Morales-Herrero and the brilliant Brazilian duo Witkowski. The former opened the evening with music by the honoured composer, whose works resonated in the auditorium throughout the week. After a few introductory words, the notes of “Three Satierean Gymnopedies” created a magical atmosphere which the “Miniatures” coloured with reminiscences and elegance, pure subtlety to delight the ear.”
ESTHER MARTÍN, RITMO
“Alejandro Román is another name to be taken into account in the current Spanish soundtrack.”
JOAN PADROL, DIRIGIDO POR…
“[…] takes a firm step forward to present his candidacy to appear in the first line of Spanish film composers, together with such illustrious surnames as Gaigne, Iglesias, Baños, Velázquez, Moure, Palomares, de la Rosa, Capellas, Vidal, Arson, Bataller, Pastor, Valent, etc., who populate, each one from his different and distinct point of view, the so-called “industry” of Spanish cinema.” Go to the article
FRÉDERIC TORRES, THE MOVIE SCORES
“Multifaceted and enthusiastic, he is clear that work is the tool with which to achieve his goals […] A prophet in his own land, recognition is an incentive rather than a goal in his professional career and an unbeatable opportunity for his works to be played and his music to be heard, both in a symphonic hall and in the cinema. Performed by countless musicians, inside and outside our borders, Alejandro Román turns into score the numerous ideas that develop in his mind in an active effort to interest and guide the public of the 21st century.”
ESTHER MARTÍN, RITMO
RITMO 901 Cover
Composer in essence
Entrevista en RNE
“Alejandro Román is projected as one of the great figures of the national scene in the world of composition.”
MARINA OLLER, VIVE POZUELO
“Alejandro Román is a brilliant addition to the list of famous composers (García Abril, de la Cruz, Marco, Montsalvatge, Turina, de Pablo, Balada…) who have lent their sound universe to the Jaén Piano Prize.”
JAVIER EXTREMERA, RITMO
“Alejandro Román, one of the rising stars of Spanish film music, with a spectacular musical background […], a composer with a bright future.”
RUIZ DE VILLALOBOS, IMÁGENES DE ACTUALIDAD
About “La Pasajera” (“The Passenger”)
“Without giving us respite or time to breathe, it envelops us in a marvellous fog worthy of John Carpenter himself, one of the masters of ceremonies to the sound of which much of the film will dance, always to the beat of the intentionally “Carpenterian” and excellent music by Alejandro Román.”
DAVID SALGADO, 24 SOMBRAS POR SEGUNDO
“A soundtrack that exalts Estándar”
“With some touches of black humour, Estándar stands out above all for its soundtrack, which sets off fireworks every time it is enjoyed on screen. Alejandro Román‘s fine treatment of the music elevates “Estándar” to another dimension. Combining works by Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, as well as taking the narrative thread between comedy and thriller, there are also some touches of soul and rock in the purest style of Spanish cinema of the 60s.”
MARÍA INFANTE, CINEMAVAVIA.ES
About the CD “A Common Enemy”:
“Fusion. This is the key term, the most appropriate for the purpose with which Alejandro Román has approached the expectations and uncertainties reflected in the first Tunisian elections after the revolutionary events known as The Arab Spring, and which the director Jaime Otero Romaní portrays in this emergency documentary produced in 2013, taking the format of a political thriller.
For this occasion, he had the invaluable contribution of another exceptional musician: Wafir Sheik Gibril, a percussion expert.
The Arabic flavour of Román’s work is as unquestionable as his mastery of keyboards and musical programming, through which he subtly introduces more Western influences, with rhythms borrowed from rock, blues and jazz (as is the case, for example, in Tunisia , Port de France, or in the percussion rhythm in Allah es genial). These rhythms are skilfully dispersed in his work, with the purpose of providing drama and suspense to some of the scenes and sequences of the documentary. This is the case for The Night of Persepolis, The Voting Moment, Results, all of which effectively provide emotional tension, but also for Alash, Alash, a song for a female singer, where Roman dares to feature Hammond organ samples for more. universal touch that music can achieve. […]
In this sense, the album includes in its first fifteen tracks the score of the documentary, redirected towards that atmospheric context intended by the director. However, this was not an obstacle for Román’s original intentions to be forgotten when the same number of songs were released with alternative versions, demos and a series of additional tracks that were not included in the documentary, through which one can appreciate the purpose of the composer from Madrid mitigating that geographical factor in favour of a revolutionary process that, after all, interests and worries the whole world. Bouazizi’s alternative version, the opening credits, is quite illustrative, offering a much more tense option than the original thanks to the electronic effects. Fragments of Revolution, Morou Meeting, Ghanuchi’s Return, Arab Spring, Revolution II and, above all, Tunisian Future, where the intangible sound of Roman’s keyboard and the Arabic percussions and rhythms provided by Hammond’s organ samplers converge, are the best example of the composer’s ambitions. Perhaps this is the reason why this last song closes an album that is actually two, and which, due to its dual nature, serves on a silver platter a reflection on Román’s musical approach, achieved through the different nuances developed in one version or the other. Enjoyment is guaranteed.”
ROBERT BETTENS, FILM MUSIC SITE
About “El Perfecto Desconocido”:
“Second full-length film score by the composer Alejandro Román […]. He has composed a score faithful to his musical principles, where there is a successful fusion of genres, from a gentle and intimate use of the piano, to themes of costumbrista comedy, to solid dramatic compositions.”
RUIZ DE VILLALOBOS, IMÁGENES DE ACTUALIDAD
About “El Perfecto Desconocido”:
“It is to be praised […] that the author has been very personal, without any affinity to the usual fashions, creating a sad, intimate, melancholic, emotive score, full of unity and coherence. […] The final result is a difficult work, not at all commercial […], a restless soundtrack full of attractions.”
JOAN PADROL, DIRIGIDO POR…
About “El Cuerpo”:
“[…] we cannot fail to mention the marvellous orchestrations of Alejandro Román.”
IORDAN STOITCHKOV, SCOREMAGACINE
“The great music by Alejandro Román gives the short film Niño Vudú an impeccable quality.”
JAVIER OCAÑA, CINEMANÍA
“El Lenguaje Musivisual, a very interesting research work, with a clear teaching intention.”
XOÁN LUACES, RITMOS DEL MUNDO
“Bacantes: descriptive and sceptical composition by Alejandro Román.”
ALBERTO GONZÁLEZ LAPUENTE, ABC
”Composers develop their own language according to their personal tastes, experiences and choices; writing for film has shaped the way I approach concert music and vice versa, but the way of composing in both worlds is different.”
ALEJANDRO ROMÁN
Magazine "RITMO", n. 874
The magic of "Gaiena" floods Jaén
Interview about the International Piano Prize "Premio Jaén" in the magazine "RITMO", nº 874, May 2014 by GONZALO PÉREZ CHAMORRO
On the CD “La Perfecta Desconocida”:
“It is original because it is the first time in our country that the demos, demos and blocks rejected by the director of the music composed for the film have been released, which allows the fan to evaluate what the BSO of The Perfect Stranger was and what these demos and outtakes, not used by the director, but written by the composer with the same creative capacity and the same strength as the music that finally accompanied the images of the film, are. […] it is therefore a real adventure, which goes beyond the traditional and standardised score.”
RUIZ DE VILLALOBOS, IMÁGENES DE ACTUALIDAD
“Alejandro Román, one of the rising stars of Spanish film music, with a spectacular musical training […], a composer with a brilliant future.”
RUIZ DE VILLALOBOS, IMÁGENES DE ACTUALIDAD
