Toccata (Homenaje a Manuel de Falla) / Toccata (Tribute to Manuel de Falla)

For Piano


Commentary
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Commentary


Composed between January and February 1995 at the request of the pianist Humerto Quagliata, to whom it is dedicated, this Toccata makes its character explicit in its title, and its intention in its subtitle. With regard to the first, there are frequent passages of fast notes, sometimes in the form of bursts, which always within a virtuosic treatment dot the work throughout its length, although they alternate with other quieter areas, of a static and contemplative nature, that provide a counterweight that aims to prevent the whole from becoming unbalanced in one direction or another.

Regarding the intention, the work wishes to be a tribute to Manuel de Falla, in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of his death. The homage does not seek to evoke a fallesque style or aesthetic, but must be sought in aspects more closely related to piano writing, as an abstract resonance. Only from the middle of the piece on appears, twice, a very slight quotation from another tribute: the one that Falla himself wrote pour le tombeau de Claude Debussy, for guitar, whose presence in the work has been foreshadowed since the introduction, and that, although it never achieves direct thematic prominence, it does generate a large part of the material used.

The Toccata (Homenaje a Manuel de Falla) was premiered by Humberto Quagliata in Luxembourg on February 9, 1996.

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(Score without watermarks available at www.asesores-musicales.com )