Andrés Valero-Castells (1973, Spain) completed his studies at the Superior Conservatoires of Valencia and Murcia, where he got eight degrees, and won four Honour Mentions and the Honour Prize in Composition at the end of his Degree. He attended a great number of post-graduated specialization courses. He is currently a doctoral student at the Catholic University of Valencia. Since 2004, he has been professor of composition at the Joaquín Rodrigo Conservatoire of Music, Valencia.

He won important awards and prizes. His works were performed in most of European countries, USA, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, etc. His pieces were commissioned by various institutions, and important musicians and ensembles. His scores were published in Spain, France and Switzerland. Out of his large discography, one can emphasize the monographic recordings produced by IVM and the WWM (The Netherlands). He was a head member of the Valencian Symphonic Composers Association; a resident composer at the Spanish International Brass Festival (Alzira, 2005), and of the Young Orchestra of the Valencian Government (2005-2006). He has been the first live composer performed in the Reina Sofía Palau de les Arts in Valencia (2006).

Andrés Valero-Castells was a guest-conductor at the Municipal Bands of Madrid, Alicante and Santiago, and currently is the Principal Guest-Conductor of the La Banda Primitiva de Llíria. He is also a founder of the Estudi Obert ensemble.

Zeffiroso, for piano
This intimate slow piece, intentionally repetitive, was created as a result of a deep anti-war wish. The work starts and ends with a melodic line. The rest of it uses the melody that in the present European framework is the symbol of peace and brotherhood among humankind: Beethoven’s  Ode to Joy. It could be said  that this melodic line is present only in a subliminal way, and it could be identified  if someone just listen to some of the sounds in which each “arabesque” finishes, at least four times successively as fast as it is possible. It pursues a hypnotizing effect and pretends to transmit peace and tranquility. Possibly the best image for this sound would be an “auditory spa”. As risky as it may be, this music explores the horizon between making the listener to the state of float, or in the best case, making him/her to feel sleepy. As important as the listener’s subjectivity is his/her predisposition to be caressed.