Description
Caminos del ‘duende’ (The ways of ‘duende’) for marimba and 4 percussionists, was commissioned and premiered by 4Plus Percussion Ensemble at the Seoul Arts Center on July 21, 2012, and later performed at the International Percussion Music Festival of Seoul at KNUA (Korean National University for the Arts) on July 25, 2012.
Caminos del duende, explores aspects of the harmonic and expressionist worlds of Spanish and Catalonian music from a contemporary perspective. Consists of three movements:
I. Alma escorchada (Burning soul) – a dramatic dialogue between the marimba and the percussion;
II. Cançódedesig(Songofdesire)-ayearningvocal-typepiecethatevokes the lyricism of Catalan folk music; and
III. Fiesta – a ‘light character’ piece with thicker texture and exciting rhythms.
In Andalucía (Southern Spain) people say of certain toreros and flamenco artists that they have duende: “an inexplicable power of attraction, the ability, on rare occasions, to send waves of emotion through those watching and listening to them.” Poet Garcia Lorca wrote extensively about duende extending its meaning to artists whose inspiration went beyond the concept of ‘muse’. Lorca’s duende is irrational, close to nature, has an acute awareness of death, and is a bit diabolical. Lorca’s duende has also elements of the religious and a deep sense of internal struggle and pain.
