FIREFLY
(after "Tokyo Blues")
Year of composition: 2019
This composition was awarded the Third Prize “Francisco Guerrero Marín” at the prestigious 30th Young Composers Award of the SGAE–CNDM Foundation.
Duration: 11 minutes
Scored for: chamber ensemble of eight players
Opus 20a — AA202019
Difficulty: Advanced+
Movements:
—
Premiere:
First performance was given by the KOAN 2 Ensemble, conducted by José Ramón Encinar, at 400 Auditorium of the Queen Sofía National Museum Art Centre, Madrid, on November 18, 2019.
Please note:
Full set and study scores are purchased, fulfilled in hard copy, and yours to keep. Full sets are licensed per two years of performance, and it can be renewed with an additional cost of 100€. Additional parts are delivered in PDF, and the fixed electronics (when necessary) is free downloaded through a QR code printed on the full score.
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Full Set
Price:
80.00€
Firefly (after "Tokyo Blues")
KOAN 2 Ensemble [World Premiere]
Conductor | José Ramón Encinar
About the Music
Firefly —after Tokyo Blues— was awarded the Third Prize “Francisco Guerrero Marín” at the prestigious 30th Young Composers Award of the SGAE–CNDM Foundation (Spain, 2019). First performance was given by the KOAN 2 Ensemble, conducted by José Ramón Encinar, at the 400 Auditorium of the Queen Sofía National Museum Art Centre, Madrid (Spain), on November 18, 2019.
This piece takes its title from the homonymous short story by Murakami Haruki, published in the collection Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, written between 1980 and 2005. Murakami describes—from a first-person perspective—a nostalgic tale dealing with themes of loss and sexuality. The music attempts to delve into the psychology of the characters, so vividly portrayed by Murakami, alternating between an intimate mood of despair and sensuality, and continuously guided by the ruinous memory of a song that unifies and shapes the entire piece: “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” by The Beatles (1965). Murakami used this short story as the cornerstone of his successful bestseller Norwegian Wood, written in 1987.
Firefly is structured around a binary system, with all the thematic material encapsulated within the first nine measures of the work. The first idea is introduced immediately by the bass clarinet, with a rather seductive and even somewhat cynical character, generated entirely from a polytonal system. The second idea is an atomization of the aforementioned song “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” by The Beatles, from their 1965 album Rubber Soul. These materials are kept in a constantly volatile state throughout the ensuing development of the initial gestures, with particular emphasis on the technique of Klangfarbenmelodie (“melody of tone colors”), a musical technique consisting of breaking a melodic line across different instruments. Additionally, it is worth noting that Firefly is a revisiting— or rather, a reinterpretation— of another of my compositions, Tokyo Blues, written in 2017 for soprano and piano with digital extensions.
Firefly — after Tokyo blues — (Luciérnaga — después de "Tokyo Blues" —) obtuvo el Tercer Premio "Francisco Guerrero Marín" en el prestigioso XXX Premio Jóvenes Compositores Fundación SGAE-CNDM, Madrid (España), 2019. El estreno fue llevado a cabo por el KOAN 2 Ensemble, bajo la dirección de José Ramón Encinar, en la Auditorio 400 del Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía de Madrid, España, el 18 de noviembre de 2019.
Esta pieza toma su título del relato homónimo de Murakami Haruki, publicado dentro de la colección "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" (Sauce ciego, mujer dormida), escrita entre 1980 y el 2005. Murakami describe — desde una perspectiva en primera persona — una historia nostálgica que trata los temas de la pérdida y la sexualidad. La música intenta adentrarse a través de la psicología de los personajes, ricamente descrita por Murakami, alternando entre un íntimo estado de animo de desesperación y sexo, guiado continuamente por el ruinoso recuerdo de una canción que aúna y da forma a toda la pieza... "Norwegian wood: This bird has flown" (Madera Noruega: Este pájaro ha volado) de los Beatles (1965). Murakami tomó este relato breve como piedra angular de su exitoso bestseller, "Norwegian Wood" (traducido en España como "Tokio Blues"), escrito en 1987.
Firefly se articula en derredor de un sistema binario, quedando todo el material temático encapsulado en los primeros nueve compases de la obra. La primera idea es introducida inmediatamente por el clarinete bajo, con un carácter bastante seductor, incluso algo cínico, generado enteramente a partir de un sistema politonal. La segunda idea es una atomización de la canción anteriormente mencionada "Norwegian Wood (This bird has flown)" de los Beatles, introducida en su álbum de 1965 Rubber Soul (Alma de goma). Los materiales se mantienen constantemente en un estado volátil durante el consiguiente desarrollo de los gestos iniciales, poniendo especial énfasis en la técnica Klangfarbenmelodie (melodía de colores), una técnica musical que consiste en quebrar una línea melódica entre diferentes instrumentos. Por otra parte, cabe señalar que Firefly es una revisión (o reinterpretación, mejor dicho) de otra de mis composiciones, Tokyo Blues, escrita en el 2017 para una configuración de soprano y piano con extensiones digitales.