Playafells

Playafells is the Coastline of the city Castelldefels, a very beautiful spot. I lived here, directly on the beach, with the sound of the Mediterranean.

The sea is the main attraction, but there is also an atmosphere of restaurants and relax, combined with the smell of pine forest in the heat. The introduction of my piece is the movement of the waves. Its turns into a rather festive part and makes reference to the “Rumba Catalana” which contains a quite percussive way to play guitar. It´s interrupted by a nasal singing from a gipsy, walking from bar to another to entertain, carrying his guitar over his shoulder.

My piece is a dedication to this small place called paradise.

My Suite Granaína is based on 7 movements dedicated to Granada.

Please read about the movements under here.

1. Boabdil
2. Eshavira
3. Improvisación sobre la fuente de la Alhambra
4. Procesión del Cristo de los gitanos
5. Fandango de San Cecilio
6. El Jazmin
7. Jorge Aguilera -Fin de Fiesta

Boabdil

The last Moorish King of Alhambra, Boabdil, had to deliver the keys of Granada to the Catholic Kings in 1492 after the reconquest. It happened in the hills of Granada.  From my house in Albaycin, I had the view over these exact mountains. Boabdil was the last King in the Dynasty of the Nasrids, born in Alhambra. The piece wants to reflect the transformation from the Moorish to the Mozarabic and Christian period. It sometime uses the guitar technique “Tremolo”on one string only, to imitate the sound of the Arabic lute.

Eshavira

In C/ Eshavira I often went to a flamenco jazz club, where the local artists performed. -Including the family Morente and local guitarists. The piece is a little jazzy, changing time signature, and the melody sounds “desafinada”. The piece has the presence of the flamenco style called ”Soleá por Bulerías”,and is  inspired by the rhythm of its“zapateado” (footsteps).

Improvisación sobre la fuente de la Alhambra

At night, the composer Manuel de Falla went for a walk in Alhambra with his friend Barrios Padre, who was a guitarist living there. Barrios tuned his guitar in ”B”, so he could improvise with and over the fountain in Alhambra, which was tuned in this particular key.

My piece has an essence of an improvisation in ”B”,  remembering this fountain and magical moment. It imitates the sound of the Arabic lute played with a plectrum of eagle feather by “Ziryab”. Furthermore it makes reference to the flamenco style called”Granaína”, in memory of the virtuoso flamenco concerts I heard inside the Alhambra.  ”Granaína” is a kind of Fandango from Granada, and is often a piece for solo guitar.

Procesión del  Cristo de los Gitanos

This piece imitates the solemn atmosphere of Easter, the holy”Semana Santa”. Al over the city you hear percussion of the parades, the city sounds and vibrates. From”Abadía del Sacromonte” in the gipsy part of town, they carry barefoot, and on their backs a copy of a heavy statue during a whole day. The statue is called”Cristo de los Gitanos”. To complete the sacrifice, I once witnessed the gypsies running up the hill”Cuesta del Chapiz” in the Albaycin to return to their abbey.

My piece is”lontano” which in music means, to hear things from a distance. In the middle of the piece you discover a little ”Bulerías”, a lively flamenco style, as if you can notice the gypsies dancing and singing somewhere in the night.

Fandango de San Cecilio

I once ran in to a pilgrimage from Granada, with horse carriages decorated with flowers and everybody dressed in folkloric dresses. On the pilgrimage that last for days, they sing and dance Sevillanas and Fandangos.  Fandango is an old folksong, which converted to flamenco in many  versions.

My piece has a folkloric tune and develop into different variations of the same theme. The parts are interrupted by cadences, inspired by the piece “El Café de Chinitas”from García Lorca´s arrangements of old Spanish folksongs.

San Cecilio is the Patron of Granada.

El Jazmin

Albaycin is a part of town situated on a hill in Granada, where I lived in a beautiful house, with a view over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a part of town with narrow streets, and planted with jazmin from every garden, which gives this neighborhood its magical touch and smell.

My piece is dedicated to this flower, and I give it a sort of aroma through beautiful chords and sounds. The still, perfumed air is represented by a clear, non vibrating tone, and a main theme that is almost hypnotic. During the piece it wakes up to a very slow “Chôro”, but after searching a bit, it will return to its origin.

In flamenco poetry you find many references to plants and aromatic herbs.

Jorge Aguilera – Fin de Fiesta

Jorge Aguilera was a very special friend, mentor and artist, who lived in a cave in Sacromonte, the gipsy part of town. He was lively, colorful and reflecting, full of projects.  I would not have experienced Granada  the same way, without him. This piece is “Sonoro” which in music means to be sonorous, as Jorge was too. The rhythm is based on a “Bulería”, a lively and festive flamenco style, interrupted by a slow reflecting part.

Most of the times, flamenco concerts or festivals end up with a “Fin de Fiesta” which means “end of the party”. Typically people get spontaneously on stage to participate, and finish the show with a bang. 

Jorge Aguilera Esteban created my artistic Logo.

My Logo called “Versos del are” created by Jorge Aguilera Esteban