The duty to be ambitious

Salutation to the 2nd Spanish Music Festival of Cádiz, published in the special supplement "Cádiz and Music" of Diario de Cádiz. Cádiz, November 15, 2004


Still under the lingering effects of the recent premiere of my quartet The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, performed by the Brodsky Quartet at the Holy Cave of Cádiz this past October 30th, and still moved by the beauty of a city I had barely known beyond passing through, as well as by the kindness of its people, I am pleased to respond to the request from Diario de Cádiz to dedicate a few words to the Spanish Music Festival that will begin in a few days.
To begin with, my opinion of the project can only be positive. After many years in the profession, I am well-accustomed to reviewing festival programs, a format that is far from having exhausted its potential. My music has been featured in many of them, and now, in my role as Artistic Director of the Spanish National Youth Orchestra, I must ensure that it is present in the most significant ones.
From the experience that both roles have provided me, I believe I am not mistaken in stating that the approach of this Festival, despite the limitations of its execution, is one of the most ambitious I know.
The combination of concerts, educational activities, university courses, exhibitions, multidisciplinary artistic workshops, research projects, and efforts to recover musical heritage constitutes, in my view, a truly unprecedented proposal for this type of event. Unlike the fleeting nature of typical festivals, Cádiz's festival demonstrates a deliberate intention for permanence, ensuring that the annual event does not fade away like smoke after the closing ceremony.
The blending of the cultured and the popular, as well as the playful and the scholarly, creates a cultural environment that welcomes audiences of all ages and educational backgrounds. It also offers a broad professional scope, aiming to equally encompass creators, performers, and researchers.
Ambitious, yet balanced with impeccable logic, Cádiz demonstrates through this festival an inventiveness and seriousness in its execution that all of us who work daily in and for Spanish music cannot help but greet with joy.
Congratulations, then, to the institutions that make it possible, and equally to all those who, thanks to them, can enjoy it.