DUENDE

Four preludes for Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Year of composition: 2010

Commissioned by The University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble de Saint Paul, Minnesota

The term Duende is used in flamenco to refer to this state of inspiration and supreme perceptiveness, almost magic, which is only reached by the performer in few occasions. It’s also used, in extension, to define a person when someone has a special grace, something difficult to define but that makes him different of the rest. The use of the word Duende as the title of this collection of symphonic preludes, independently of its poetic significance, is mainly based on the fact that I found my principal inspiration for this composition in the Spanish popular music: listening to the piece, the listener can hear, among other features, the symphonic energy of de Falla’s scores, the intimacy of Iberia by Albeniz, the magic of the guitar played by Tomatito or Paco de Lucía, the festive happiness of Granadian Sacromonte (a popular flamenco neighborhood in Granada), but specially, and I insist in this one, the obvious presence of winks to other music styles, such as jazz or latin music. With this style fusion, I want to reflect in a symbolic way where our Spanish society stands for nowadays: a society with many traditions, but at the same time a cosmopolitan and modern community, which cannot be different in these modern times we are living.