Javier Zalba

Monólogo

In 'Monologue for Bb (or A) Clarinet', the dramaturgy of the music passes through various emotional facets, similar to what happens during those theatrical performances where one single actor, or character, expresses himself on the stage. At different instants in the course of this piece of music, meditation and other more extrovert states of mind become apparent in the form of a 'descarga', or improvisation, conjoining - in a contradictory manner - varying degrees of abstraction and spontaneity. The technical tools and means of expression employed by the composer are contingent upon this antagonism. Among these resources chosen stand out the exploitation of a vast part of the register of this instrument throughout sequences, disjointed intervals and leaps, but also different types of colors applied to the execution of the music. Apart from agogic and dynamic contrasts, it is the predominance of modal turns, the frequent metric modulations and the irregular rhythmic values that are instrumental in building up a powerful musical expressiveness. Performing 'all alone', while using a musical language influenced by such dissimilar genres as latin jazz or the Cuban 'cancion', and interpreting this composition successfully will represent a pleasing challenge to the instrumentalist who is already familiar with these styles of music. (Ana Victoria Casanova)