Alexandra Gardner :: composer
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barcelona updates
barcelona update #4
- may 2004
Queridos
Amigos,
It's actually
- gasp - May!?! How did that happen??!
Yes, still here in Barcelona. What? Can't blame a girl for making
every effort to extend this little adventure as long as humanly
possible.... Blame it on the olives.
Where to begin? Well, after what was apparently the longest winter in 70 years, spring has finally arrived in Barcelona - whew! I know it couldn't possibly compare to the winters that many of you endured this year, but for people here, who break out winter coats and scarves when the temperature drops below 60 degrees - yes, really - it was brutal. The day it snowed, which it only does once every two or three years, was a major event! Now, because we have had sooooo much rain over the past few months, the city is remarkably green, and everyone's flower boxes and terrace gardens are super-creativo!
Let's see what's in the music box....the newest additions to the list of works are a string quartet, Coyote Turns, and Ónice (that's Spanish for onyx), for bass clarinet and electronics. Negotiations are on with a quartet of fabulous French ladies interested in playing Coyote (I've always wanted to work with an all-girl string quartet!), and last December bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay gave an amazing premiere performance of Ónice in Madrid. Trombonist Monique Buzzarté, for whom I wrote the piece Snapdragon, has been performing it in and around New York City in a program of compositions for trombone and electronics created by women. Flutist Barbara Held and I continue to develop the work New Skin for flutes and electronics, and my - dare I say it? - final project here is a piece for saxophonist Xelo Giner. These days I am also spending much time in the recording studio, and new recordings of Luminoso, Ónice and Snapdragon can be found on my web site (www.jigsawmusic.org/listen.htm), should you feel like a download. Let me know your thoughts - all manner of feedback is welcome!
Hm. What else?
Spanish language goes well. Not completely fluent, but highly functional. Can finally manage what I find the most difficult thing of all....talking on the phone! Catalan has become relatively easy to understand and to read, but my speaking is limited to polite small talk and to essential survival needs....such as ordering coffee.
Many of you have asked about the Madrid bombings....the most impressive thing about the event was the response of the Spanish people. I have never seen people take to the streets in such massive numbers, nor have I seen demonstrations of that size organized in 24 hours. The morning after the bombing I ran into a demonstration of school children. Imagine the sound of thousands of kids between about 10 and 18, yelling at the top of their lungs for peace! Unbelievable.
One final story for the road....ah, Las Fallas. Las Fallas is a festival held in March in the city of Valencia, celebrating the traditional week when carpenters clean out their shops and get rid of the materials they don't need any more. All year the Valencianos build these gigantic sculptures/scenarios, on every conceivable theme, from fairy tales to political humor to nightmare horror stories, and they are placed in the open spaces of the city for viewing during one week. One of these sculptures could easily take up an entire plaza, and this year there were about 300. Completely Alice in Wonderland - no, er, pharmaceutical assistance necessary! At midnight on the final day of the festival, all of the sculptures are simultaneously set ablaze, causing the entire city to light up from the bonfires. And then they're gone! Reduced to piles of ashes. Is this an exercise in impermanence or what???
barcelona update #4
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