SKU: BO.B.3668

It was commissioned by Banda Municipal de Barcelona (Barcelona's municipal band) and performed for the first time on January 30th 2011 at L'Auditori de Barcelona (auditorium of Barcelona).

This concert is divided into three movements. The first, bearing the name of Preludi (Prelude), is slow and mysterious, with two alternating subject matters flowing gently. It is only towards the end that a rapid cadence of the piano leads to an orchestral tutti which will gradually fade within the general atmosphere.

The second movement is a Scherzo-Cadenza, always in a bar of 6/8, based on triplets and twangs but also tied at the most expressive moments. The piano and the wind and percussion instruments embark in a contrapuntal dialogue in which a burlesque character alternates with forceful moments. The movement ends subtly, with a long scale flowing from a low to a high pitch.

A cadence of the piano serves as a liaison with the third movement, an Allegro molto, the longest and most complex of the whole concert. This movement is clearly virtuosic and it consists of three main subject matters which alternate and blend. The atmosphere is lively and unmistakably burlesque, although there are three thoughtful moments in which it becomes mysterious. The coda is fast, bright and clearly conclusive.

SKU: BT.YE0088

Double Bass and Cello (1985). 'Pleasantly atmospheric'. Daily Telegraph, London. A show work, written for The Manchester Bass Week, not too difficult but immediately pleasing.

Grade: Moderate.