J. Baixas (1996) is a composer based in Barcelona.
"[A]ny text is constructed as a mosaic of quotations; any text is the absorption and transformation of another."
Julia Kristeva
J. Baixas (1996) is a composer based in Barcelona.
"[A]ny text is constructed as a mosaic of quotations; any text is the absorption and transformation of another."
Mètopes is a concerto for piano and ensemble.
The material of the soloist part comes entirely, and without any kind of processing, from Karol Szymanowski’s solo piano piece Métopes, Op. 29 (in the manner of an objet trouvé). To decide exactly which bars of Szymanowski end up in my piece, the original score has been stained with coffee1 in a more or less random way (see Fig. 1): the notes not affected by the coffee constitute the soloist part unaltered, whereas the stained regions are eliminated, and, in any case, might have implications——or not (in fact, preferably not)——on the rest of the ensemble.
Therefore, this piece presents itself as a palimpsest or as a reconstruction of a forced ruin. (The idea of the ruin is akin to the Greek theme of Syzmanowski’s Métopes: three images from the Odyssey.)
Alternative titles are offered for the three movements: I. Lotòfags, II. Escil·la i Caribdis and for the inexistent third, III. Penèlope.
1 Coffee for practical reasons: it allows us to see what is stained in case it’s found to be necessary, and was more easily available the other considered liquids: watercolors, Indian ink, blood.
Premiered on June 6th, 2023, by Jordi Masó (piano), Ernest Martínez-Izquierdo (conductor), BCN216 ensemble and students of ESMUC at L'Auditori de Barcelona. [More details on Soundcloud.]
Instrumentation:
flute (also piccolo and bass flute) - oboe - clarinet in B♭ (also contrabass clarinet in B♭) - tenor saxophone - bassoon
horn in F - trumpet in C - trombone
percussion - classical guitar - harp
piano
2 violins - viola - cello - double bass
Bibliography:
Szymanowski, K. (1922). Métopes: Trois poèmes pour piano, Op. 29. Universal Edition.