On February 22nd Kebyart and the Esmuc Sax Ensemble premiered my composition Subtracció cromàtica at Sala 4 of the Auditori de Barcelona as part of the pedagogical project Kebyart meets... Esmuc Saxo Ensemble. During the concert were also performed works by Mysliveček, Tomasi and Stravinsky.
Subtracció Cromàtica (Chromatic subtraction)
This work is for 3 saxophone quartets. It is a personal approach of colors and their mixtures translated into music. Following the subtractive color synthesis (which applies to the mixing of pigments used in painting or printing), by mixing the three pure primary colors on a white background all possible colors can be obtained. These primary colors are Magenta, Cyan Blue and Yellow.
The ensemble of 12 saxophones is divided into 3 quartets, each representing a primary color. At first, these three colors are presented. Each one has its own harmony, sonority and character, very different from each other. The choice of these characteristics is completely subjective and the result of my synesthesia of how I imagine each color sounds. Then, they start mixing, creating new tonalities (and sonorities). These mixtures maintain the characteristic elements of the colors that compose them. In the same way that in painting the color purple arises from the mixture of blue and magenta, in my work its sonority and character will also be an emergent phenomenon of the musical material of the colors that compose each one.
The work ends with the mixture of the 3 colors, resulting in black.
Kebyart
They are a prestigious saxophone quartet consisting of Pere Méndez, Víctor Serra, Robert Seara and Daniel Miguel.
Since their creation at ESMUC in 2014, they have become one of the most promising groups of their generation. They have been awarded in prestigious competitions such as the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition, El Primer Palau 2016, the Premi BBVA de Música-Montserrat Alavedra and Spain's Concurs Permanent de Joventuts, among others.
The ensemble is a member of the European Chamber Music Academy and its artistic line has a strong commitment in three directions: the vindication of the original repertoire, the commitment to new creation and the revision of works by other ensembles through transcriptions.
The ensemble was also chosen by the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) as emerging artists of the European scene in order to perform different concerts throughout the continent.
Kebyart meets… ESMUC Saxophone Ensemble
This intensive chamber music project has as its main objectives the development of listening as a fundamental basis of tempo, tuning, sound quality, harmonic hearing and musical interpretation. During this experience, the Kebyart Quartet transfers its daily work and amplifies the quartet work to the saxophone ensemble. In addition, the aim is to develop skills for performing in public with self-control, memory mastery and communicative ability. Each year the work of a student of composition of the center is premiered, and this year it has been mine.
Information from the Esmuc web: https://www.esmuc.cat/concert-kebyart-meets-esmuc-saxophone-ensemble-2/