Benet Casablancas
(b.1956) www.accompositors.com/compositores-curriculum.php?idComp=29
was born in Sabadell, Spain and studied in Barcelona and at the Vienna Academy
of Music with Friedrich Cerha and Karl Heinz Füssl.
Though rooted in the formal techniques of serialism, his
music has, in recent decades become more concerned with harmony and texture.
His wide-ranging oeuvre covers the most diverse genres and formats,
increasingly drawn towards the orchestral field.
He has received many awards including the Premio Nacional
Disco Ministerio de Cultura de España, Premio Nacional de Música de la
Generalitat de Catalunya, Premio Ciudad de Barcelona, Composer´s Arena
Amsterdam (Gaudeamus), Musiciens´s Accord New York, Premios Ferran Sors, Oscar
Esplá and Jeunesses Musicales. In 2002 he was appointed Academic Director of
the Conservatorio Superior de Música del Liceo in Barcelona.
Casablancas’ music has been performed at important
international festivals such as Holland Festival Amsterdam, Musica Strasbourg,
ISCM World Music Days Vilnius, Biennale Düsseldorf, Spanien Modern Wien,
Theatre Miller New York, Atempo Caracas, Weimar, Bruxelles, Antwerpen, London
Barbican Hall, Paris, Lausanne, St. Petersburg, Warzawa, Montréal, München,
Vancouver, Bolonia, Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Malmö, Lima, Rotterdam, Tokio,
Frankfurt and Napoles.
A new release from
Naxos www.naxos.com entitled
Piano Trios features works by Benet
Casablancas performed by B3: Brouwer Trio www.brouwertrio.com
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The title of this disc is rather misleading in that only
three of the works performed here are for piano trio, the rest for solo piano
and other combinations. However, that doesn’t detract from the wealth of fine
music from this composer on these new recordings.
Casablancas, Moviment
per a trio (1984), as the title implies,
is for piano trio with B3: Brouwer
Trio launching into a kaleidoscope of instrumental sounds before settling to a
passionate theme, soon led by the cello before violin, then piano join to weave
around the theme. As the theme is slowly taken forward there is much of the
feel of the Second Viennese School but, as the music develops through some more
vibrant passages, Casablancas adds a distinctive voice. The music speeds before
slowing as these three players weave some particularly fine sounds, finding
every little nuance to point up this composer’s ideas before slowly the music
finds its way to a hushed coda.
In this work Casablancas very much takes forward the
language of the Second Viennese School whilst moulding it to his personal
style.
Brouwer Trio member, pianist Carlos Apellániz introduces the
first of several solo piano works on this disc, Impromptu (2009). A light skittish piano theme opens played with
terrific brio by this pianist where the music leaps around the keyboard using
the whole of the twelve tone scale. Though it slows, there are continuing moments
of sudden dynamic runs and flourishes on the piano with some terrific moments.
Another work for solo piano follows, Sí, a Montsalvatge! (2012) opening with delicate rippling phrases before
the theme is gently taken forward with many lovely little details so sensitively
wrought by this pianist. It grows in dynamics and tempo as it progresses with Casablancas
creating some fine piano writing with lovely colours, textures and timbres.
The Brouwer Trio’s cellist, Elena Solanes joins Carlos
Apellániz for Cant per a Frederic
Mompou, Remembranca (1993) with
the cello opening with a deep rich theme soon joined by the piano as a slow, rather
melancholy, melody develops. The piano provides economical little phrases as
the cello rises and becomes quite anguished, this cellist drawing some lovely
heartfelt moments.
Pianist Carlos Apellániz returns for Tres Haikus (2008) where
in the first piece there is a skittish little motif under which a theme is run
before the second piece brings a more flowing theme that slows as it is picked
over more gently with some exquisite moments of great refinement and delicacy.
The piano introduces a faster theme, the final Haikus of this set, before it spreads
all over the keyboard, easing back for the sudden coda.
This time the Brouwer Trio’s violinist, Jenny Guerra joins Carlos
Apellániz for Encore (1992), a work
that brings edgy vibrant violin chords in the opening with the piano adding
lively phrases. The violin develops some fine textures and harmonies as the
music leads through slower, more considered passages. There are more
spectacularly virtuosic faster moments for these two players before the violin
rises to a quite coda.
Carlos Apellániz brings some lovely rippling piano phrases
to Haiku para Zurbarán (2010) offset
by more dramatic chords before slowly quietening to the coda. He opens the
following piano piece, Lamento, Haiku
para Ramón Barce (2009) with a terrific piano flourish before settling and
moving forward with a longer breathed theme, still set off by more dynamic
flourishes. Casablancas provides many fine colours and textures in this fine
work before the quieter coda.
The piano work, Jubilus,
Homenatge a Jordi Savall (2011) opens with a vibrant rippling theme, still
with Casablancas’ trademark trills and flourishes that encompass much of the
keyboard. The music slows to a plodding pace before little flourishes are added
with deep lower chords, livening again as the music moves to the coda.
B3: Brouwer Trio come together for Casablancas’ Impromptu, Trio No. 2 (1991) with these
players hurtling off in the opening, bringing a fine texture of sounds, full of
energy. The music soon drops as the piano introduces a slower section to which
the others join and develop. Again there are Casablancas’ sudden outbursts and
flourishes as well as many fine harmonies and textures with this composer
showing a fine ear for such little details. Later the violin brings a longer
melody over the top of the piano’s skittish accompaniment. There is a myriad of
textures and colours as the music develops with melodies emerging through the
texture.
Carlos Apellániz brings some further piano pieces, first Come un recitativo (1995) where the piano
opens with broad chords before developing through a wide spectrum of phrases, soon
slowing to bring a delicate, slow flowing theme before speeding again and a
sudden little coda. Then comes the Dos
Apunts (1976), the first of which opens gently as the music moves and flows
as though the composer is trying out ideas. The second of these two pieces has
a staccato theme that shifts around, varying in dynamics.
Tríptico (1996) is
a work for solo cello that brings
back cellist Elena Solanes. The cello brings a slow, rich opening to Amorós, lliurement that is developed
through some very fine passages of reflective deep, rich textures. Pizzicato
cello phrases slowly appear for the Passacaglia,
soon interspersed by light vibrant harmonies this cellist holding the structure
quite magnificently. Liebeslied brings
a deep sonorous theme that emerges from the bass with lovely harmonies and
textures, with angst filled dissonances appearing as the passion increases and
the cello rises ever higher before slowly moving to a quiet richly harmonised
end.
Casablancas wrote a second
collection (Segunda Colección) of Tre Haikus
for piano, in 2013. In Full de Dietari, per Antonio Muñoz Molina pianist
Carlos Apellániz opens with a slow piano motif that gently develops with some
beautifully limpid phrases. Ràfegues de
llum brings faster, more florid textures with dynamic louder passages to
conclude. Memento para Maria del Carme
Casablancas has a delicate opening, soon leading to deep chords repeated,
before higher bell like phrases lead to the coda on a low chord.
The concluding work on this disc, Haiku para trío (2007) brings back all members of B3: Brouwer Trio as
these players launch themselves with a vengeance into this piece with more of
this composer’s tremendous combination of textures, colours and timbres
tumbling over each other. The music slows momentarily before hurtling to the
dynamic coda.
Benet Casablancas is an endlessly fascinating composer who
brings his own distinctive language to music that builds on the Second Viennese
School and, in certain of his piano works, Olivier Messiaen. The very fine B3:
Brouwer Trio receive an excellent recording and there are informative booklet
notes.
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