Perfil del Aire

Dialogo de sombras (selec)

14,95

Madrid-born Eduardo Costa Roldán, has premiered more than thirty chamber and symphonic works. Composition of educational materials is one of his main creative concerns. Tempo de Huida and Berlín 1928, two of the works included in this album Perfil del aire, were born with a clear didactic purpose. The other four titles (Diálogo de sombras, Tríptico, Escenas de la vida de Poulenc and Dos imágenes) were commissioned by renowned flautists. However, with the passage of time, they have been established as a regular part of the conservatory repertoire and, some of them have been chosen as examination pieces in educational institutions, national flute competitions or auditions to symphonic ensembles.

14,95

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Air’s Profile

From Leopold Mozart to Philip Glass, through Johann Joachim Quantz, Frederic Chopin or Claude Debussy, many great composers have paid attention to teaching repertoire. All of them have been very aware of the utmost importance of having appropriate pieces to acquire the different skills in the technical and expressive handling of every instrument, from the first levels of musical education. In addition, how much it can favour the dissemination of the name of its author and the survival of their legacy over time. In short, a clear and intelligent commitment to the future. Works written with a didactic purpose must possess a double quality: to train tomorrow’s virtuosi and, at the same time, to take advantage of the artistic and aesthetic dimension of the musical material.

Madrid-born Eduardo Costa Roldán, has premiered more than thirty chamber and symphonic works. Composition of educational materials is one of his main creative concerns. Tempo de Huida and Berlín 1928, two of the works included in this album Perfil del aire, were born with a clear didactic purpose. The other four titles (Diálogo de sombras, Tríptico, Escenas de la vida de Poulenc and Dos imágenes) were commissioned by renowned flautists. However, with the passage of time, they have been established as a regular part of the conservatory repertoire and, some of them have been chosen as examination pieces in educational institutions, national flute competitions or auditions to symphonic ensembles.

The direct relationship with the performers is a powerful catalyst for the new repertoire in Eduardo Costa’s creative trajectory. His close ties with Salvador Espasa and Julián Elvira, two relationships that have marked his catalogue, are particularly noteworthy. Costa has been a member of the Orquesta de Flautas de Madrid, conducted by Salvador Espasa, since it’s foundation in 1991. This association has led, among other things, to many new pieces and arrangements for this formation. On the other hand, the intense artistic collaboration with Julián Elvira in his productions since 2002, as well as their creative work together, has generated a series of original works for flute, specifically for the Pronomos flute, Elvira’s great life project.

The Pronomos flute is a new instrument conceived and designed by Julián Elvira and built by Stephen Wessel in 2009. This instrument extraordinarily expands the sonic possibilities of the modern flute proposed by Boehm and manages to exploit its expressive qualities to the full. The Pronomos flute is the result of the application of the Complex System theory, developed in the 1980s by the Hungarian flautist István Matuz, as a framework for searching and organizing mathematical and acoustic results on the transverse flute. With Pronomos, techniques are extended and the attainment of resources are made easier (multiphonics, plural timbre, microtones or resources used in flutes from different cultures).

The time period covered by Perfil del aire spans two decades: from 1993 to 2013. Of the six works included, four have been published (Tempo de huida, Tríptico, Berlín 1928 and Escenas de la vida de Poulenc). Only one of them has been previously recorded (Tríptico).

Eva Sandoval

The Players

The choice of performers for this album is determined by their connection with the author. The composer himself comments that “the confidence in the personal vision and artistic value of Julián and Sofya has been a driving force behind this project.” Julián Elvira is Spain’s leading name in experimental music for the flute, both from the performing and academic world. His comprehensive classical training, his commitment to the performative component in his projects, along with his attraction to the sounds of different cultures, make Elvira a unique flautist. Moreover, pieces written for the Pronomos flute can only be played with this type of instrument and, for the moment, only by its creator. According to Costa himself, “his flautistic style and language give this album a unique and very personal dimension.” Also renowned for her versatility and approach to the contemporary world, the pianist Sofya Melikyan, brings her expertise on the keyboard as well as her aesthetic affinity with Costa’s musical expression. Trained in her native Armenia and later in Madrid, Paris and New York, Melikyan values rigour, technique and great expressiveness in her interpretations.  Throughout her career she has combined solo recitals, concerts as a soloist with orchestra and participation in various chamber ensembles. This last field, which she cultivates with enthusiasm, has become one of the main points of her career.

These two artists, with a long international career, have joined forces to achieve detailed and passionate versions which, for the most part, constitute the world’s first recordings of these pieces. A collection that allows us to get to know the author’s different creative stages and his varied profiles through the flute. As Luis Cernuda writes in his first collection of poems, from 1927, entitled Perfil del aire (the book from which the composer has taken the name of this album): “Guardada está la dicha / en el aire vacío” (Happiness is enclosed / in empty air”).