Piano Sonata No.2
"Las Mil Calles"
(2018)
“Las Mil Calles” (The Thousand Streets) refers to a specific place in Santiago, Chile. It is in this particular place that a process of re-encountering took place with my origins and personal roots due to the fact that, although I am chilean, I have lived most of my life in other extremely different countries.
My childhood memories of life in this country which seemed so far away from where I was coming from were extremely different from that of the vision of an adult. This musical work in particular represents not only this new perspective but also, important life experiences which began to develop for me, both personally and socially.
The work is vastly descriptive with regard to the different places and characters which wandered through “Las Mil Calles”. On one side there was madness as well as experiences which I was witness to, linked to my study of spiritism. On the other side, we have the musical and cultural symbols of Chile as is the homage to Victor Jara, a celebrated national troubadour. All of these aspects form part of the artistic material presented throughout the Sonata.
Conceived in a mature artistic state, this work absorbs ample experience of prior studies in Europe and the USA as well as an international professional practice of my craft.
This work was conceived in the midst of a period of criticism at a national level which eventually culminated in my country’s Social Revolution of October 18, 2019.
My childhood memories of life in this country which seemed so far away from where I was coming from were extremely different from that of the vision of an adult. This musical work in particular represents not only this new perspective but also, important life experiences which began to develop for me, both personally and socially.
The work is vastly descriptive with regard to the different places and characters which wandered through “Las Mil Calles”. On one side there was madness as well as experiences which I was witness to, linked to my study of spiritism. On the other side, we have the musical and cultural symbols of Chile as is the homage to Victor Jara, a celebrated national troubadour. All of these aspects form part of the artistic material presented throughout the Sonata.
Conceived in a mature artistic state, this work absorbs ample experience of prior studies in Europe and the USA as well as an international professional practice of my craft.
This work was conceived in the midst of a period of criticism at a national level which eventually culminated in my country’s Social Revolution of October 18, 2019.
Concerto for Bass Trombone
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This concerto was commissioned by Isaac Sanábria who put out a direct request for the identity of flamenco to be present in the work in reference to Spain, his country of origin.
The first and second movements in particular are where we encounter hints of buleria rhythms as well as the calling for the “zapateo” from the soloist as well as orchestra members alike. The symphonic strings also hint to the emblematical guitar “palmeo en caja” as well as the “rasqueteo”. The listener is transported to a world of flamenco sonorities achieved with vertical harmonic movement of super imposed fourths and tension producing seconds as well as linear motion through the Phrygian mode and the Spanish-Phrygian scale.
The concerto is constantly challenging the bass trombone soloist with its high technical demand through the entire register of the instrument. It also maintains the members of the string orchestra as protagonists as they are confronted with diverse extended techniques while balancing a thoroughly crafted score which among other factors, includes a fugato in the final movement.
The primary focus of this work is the subtle fusion of flamenco idiom within a formal concert work.
The first and second movements in particular are where we encounter hints of buleria rhythms as well as the calling for the “zapateo” from the soloist as well as orchestra members alike. The symphonic strings also hint to the emblematical guitar “palmeo en caja” as well as the “rasqueteo”. The listener is transported to a world of flamenco sonorities achieved with vertical harmonic movement of super imposed fourths and tension producing seconds as well as linear motion through the Phrygian mode and the Spanish-Phrygian scale.
The concerto is constantly challenging the bass trombone soloist with its high technical demand through the entire register of the instrument. It also maintains the members of the string orchestra as protagonists as they are confronted with diverse extended techniques while balancing a thoroughly crafted score which among other factors, includes a fugato in the final movement.
The primary focus of this work is the subtle fusion of flamenco idiom within a formal concert work.