Chamber Music

Pass the brass is a reduced version adapted for brass quartet of ‘Stravaganza’, a double concerto for trumpet and bandoneon and symphonic band. This version is dedicated to the brass ensemble ‘Art of Brass Valencia’ who commissioned the author.

Pass the brass is a version focused on exploiting the possibilities of the trumpet, horn, tenor trombone and tuba to the maximum, without any fear or prejudice of being able to play a demanding role as other instruments play on countless other occasions. A paper to demonstrate the broad technical and musical spectrum in short, that these instruments can offer, all without losing sight of the unmistakable references that have traditionally nurtured the most representative music of the southern cone of the South American continent and that are present from the beginning. to end in the work: recognizable melodies, rhythmic sequences and southern essence.

The influences of the work are based above all on two great aspects in equal parts: the most popular Argentine and Uruguayan music on the one hand, and on the other, the most academic music. The popular influence so evident from beginning to end, is nourished by the immense cultural and musical variety of the Rio de La Plata, its folklore and its multitude of musical styles such as the zamba or the tango. The more academic influence of Pass the brass stems from Argentine authors such as Alicia Térzian, Alberto Ginastera and, of course, the great Ástor Piazzolla.

The role of each one of the instruments is a pure exercise in contrast between four musical conceptions that are played by the instruments in most of the work, but that at some points come together in the same way delivered to an ‘extravagant’ conjunction.

On this occasion, tradition, contrast and originality try to go hand in hand from beginning to end.

Work commission for the Instituto Valenciano de la Música/CulturArts in 2013. “Contrasts” is a piece written in two movements for a metal quintet and also incorporates the “flamenco box” in the second of them, as simple instrumental and rhythmic support without leaving aside the main protagonism that throughout the piece concentrates in the brass quintet.

The first of the movements, “Largo for a movie”, is inspired by the music of cinema given the relationship that the author has developed in this field in some of his works. A small and melancholy crossing that from the beginning little by little is taking more force until arriving at the parliament only of the trombone. Just as a film sequence could develop. The second movement, “Allegro for all”, is the opposite of the first. Almost without any connection to the first, it develops with much more rhythm, strength and vigor. Also, the precision of each voice and the rhythmic support of the “flamenco box” make the music flow more directly to the listener especially in the last part of the work where now, the metals can bring out all their innate majesty .

For a group of ten brass instruments: four trumpets in Sib, piccolo, three tenor trombones, bass trombone, trumpet and tuba. The piece is divided into three movements: Napolitano, In memoriam and Aureo. As if of a great “collage” this piece tries to collect different compositional resources that originate different sensations, from the most eclectic to the most expressive.

Dedicated to the group “Collage Brass Ensemble” and in posthumous tribute to trumpeter Juan García Marín, sadly disappeared. Released by the same group “Collage Brass Ensemble” in October 2009 at Teatro Chapí de Villena.

The ‘Quinteto y las Sillas’ (The Quintet and the Chairs) is a diptych written in 2010 for two trumpets, horn, trombone, tuba and percussion (three chairs). Written in co-authorship with Frank J. Cogollos. Inspired by the painting of the same name by the Valencian painter José Segrelles in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Premiered in September 2010 in the Concert-Homage to the painter. As in Segrelles’s painting, the work is structured with two movements that are born from the two main elements that are extracted from the same title: the chairs and The quintet, in this case a classical quintet of metals. As a characteristic note it should be noted that in the first movement three chairs of different styles are used as percussion instruments: a wooden chair, a metal chair and a study chair.

Triptych by clarinet quartet (Bb clarinets, bass clarinet, Eb clarinet and corno di basseto). Released in September 2009 within the XXV Festival of Contemporary Music of Alicante by the quartet of clarinets “A Tempo”.

From the theory about the Fibonacci series, this triptych is built for quartet of clarinets where this numerical series is also used to construct two types of scales: one parallel and the other symmetrical. These scales are born from the same series Fibonacci from the addition of semitones and later are also used to form a twelve-tone series with some of its variants.
The names of each movement come from three of the characters who used the named proportion as previously mentioned: Leonardo da Vinci (Vinciniana), Luca Pacioli (Paciolina) and Bela Bartok (Bartokiana).

On November 13th 1985 the town of Armero in Columbia was literally swept away. It was bombarded by an avalanche of mud and stones set off by the melting of glaciers caused by the soon-to-erupt Volcano Nevado del Ruiz. This composition is dedicated to then 13 year old, Omaira Sanchez, one of the more than 23,000 victims of this disaster. The version for bass trombón was released in April of 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Castellón under the direction of José Vte. Ramón Segarra and Javier Colomer (Bass trombone solo).

This is the version for wind orchestra and euphonium. The new revised version for soloist and band euphonium was premiered on January 19, 2019 by the prestigious soloist Steven Mead along with the Belgian band Maasmechelen ConcertBand and maestro Mark Prills. Also, it is included in the latest CD of the prestigious English musician ‘PULSE’, with the ‘Royal Band of the Belgian Air Force, Conductor: Matty Cilissen.

On November 13th 1985 the town of Armero in Columbia was literally swept away. It was bombarded by an avalanche of mud and stones set off by the melting of glaciers caused by the soon-to-erupt Volcano Nevado del Ruiz. This composition is dedicated to then 13 year old, Omaira Sanchez, one of the more than 23,000 victims of this disaster. The version for bass trombón was released in April of 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Castellón under the direction of José Vte. Ramón Segarra and Javier Colomer (Bass trombone solo). The version for tenor trombone was released in December 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Pinto under the direction of Jose Antonio Blasco and Ximo Vicedo (solo tenor trombone – ORTVE).

On November 13th 1985 the town of Armero in Columbia was literally swept away. It was bombarded by an avalanche of mud and stones set off by the melting of glaciers caused by the soon-to-erupt Volcano Nevado del Ruiz. This composition is dedicated to then 13 year old, Omaira Sanchez, one of the more than 23,000 victims of this disaster. The version for bass trombón was released in April of 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Castellón under the direction of José Vte. Ramón Segarra and Javier Colomer (Bass trombone solo). The version for tenor trombone was released in December 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Pinto under the direction of Jose Antonio Blasco and Ximo Vicedo (solo tenor trombone – ORTVE).

On November 13th 1985 the town of Armero in Columbia was literally swept away. It was bombarded by an avalanche of mud and stones set off by the melting of glaciers caused by the soon-to-erupt Volcano Nevado del Ruiz. This composition is dedicated to then 13 year old, Omaira Sanchez, one of the more than 23,000 victims of this disaster. The version for bass trombón was released in April of 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Castellón under the direction of José Vte. Ramón Segarra and Javier Colomer (Bass trombone solo). The version for tenor trombone was released in December 2013 by the Banda Municipal de Pinto under the direction of Jose Antonio Blasco and Ximo Vicedo (solo tenor trombone – ORTVE).