It was some nice summer days out of Madrid and near the see, and an International Contemporary Music Festival. I enjoyed so much being there just for the mere closeness to the sea. But no time to go to the beach, as there was lots of work to do. I was commissioned to create the drama part of a new piece, to be premièred by a chamber orchestra, and was staying at home of my friend composer, so that we could make the best of our time.
But time was running over us, as some unexpected urgent work matters took my friend's attention
for some days, and the music was unfinished just a week before the concert. Not that it would be impossible to finish, but it would definitively require my attention for many hours every day.
My friend, was taken away during the day by emergencies at his work as a music consultant, so I was left alone during the day in the quiet of the neighbourhood, to work on my part of the music and write my notes... so that when the night comes and my friend was back, we could revise together the work that I have been doing, and then he would take the lead and continue with the music writing.
This situation lasted for some days... and the day of the première was getting closer. We had almost finished, but our main worry was to give the sheet music on time to the musicians. We had already delivered sheet music to the orchestra, but there was a soloist coming from France. As he was coming from a tour, he won’t be able to print any music if we gave it to him, so we had to go to his hotel as soon as he landed, meet him and give him the sheet music just on time for him to prepare it and have his first rehearsal with the orchestra.
That being said, I would add there are a series of musicians who play Contemporary music who do an amazing job and music reading and at being ready to perform at a very short notice, and fortunately he was one of them. Still, we were in a real rush this time.
We got in the car, and had to go to the other side of the city. I was really nervous, and didn't want to imagine what if we didn't make it on time that night. The clarinettist would have to leave to another meeting, we wouldn’t have the time to meet him and explain him about the piece... so even if I didn't want to think about it, I was thinking about it. All the time.
Jean was driving with a more unworried expression. Traffic was awful, and we had to cross the city from side to side to get to the Hotel.
- Remember that medieval song you sang to me last week? -said him – Can you sing it again?
So I sang it again, that medieval song that took me to Galice and when I was performing in long red robes, songs from Spanish trouvadours...
As soon as I finished... (traffick still being awful).
- That was nice. Can you sing another one?
So I went for another medieval tune... and another, and then for a melody from a Schumman's lied... and then for a popular tune in provençal... as for some years I had been almost exclusively doing medieval repertoire... before starting to learn sephardit songs. Oh, sephardit songs! How many and how much interesting melodies they have!
I went for “Yo m'enamori d'un aire, un aire d'una mujer; D'una mujer mui hermoza, linda de mi coracon.” (I fell in love with an air.. with the air of a woman/ of a very beautiful woman/ beauty of my heart) and that took me to Avrix Mi Galanica (Let me in, my love), another traditional sephardit, where the boy asks the girl to open the door for him and let him in... and she gives all possible excuses for not doing so: my mother is sewing, she will hear us, my brother is writing, he will hear us... I was loud enough, my body opening up and recreating in melismas.
- You know what? -said Jean. -Singing calms you down. I always knew it.
- So that's why you have been asking me to sing one after another song! -I laughed, and noticed we where already close to the Hotel to deliver the music. I hadn't notice the jam for a long time.
We finally made it and it was very special to hear.
Still thankful for that.
