Benet Casablancas

Albumblatt für Arriaga

Albumblatt für Arriaga, commissioned by the Trio Arriaga and lasting some 7:30 minutes, is the composer's fourth contribution to the classical violin, cello and piano ensemble, for which he has a special esteem. The work was written in homage to the composer Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, and at the same time as a token of gratitude and admiration for the Trio Arriaga, to whose members the work is dedicated; a double motivation that is reflected in the title of the work. Its course is presided over by a markedly lyrical character that coexists with passages full of energy, rhythmic vivacity and drama. The introduction and epilogue of the work are based on a musical motif derived from the name of the Basque composer (Ju-A-n C-r-I-S-ostomo A-rr-I-A-G-A), made up of the notes A, C, E, Eb, A, E, E, A, G, A, in the manner of a musical acrostic, and from whose nature the harmonic and thematic material of the whole work is largely derived. The premiere of this Trio took place on 5 November 2015 in the Chamber Hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.