This album represents the culmination of more than ten years of composition work by Gustavo Díaz-Jerez. It comprises seven symphonic poems evoking the landscapes and natural beauty of the Canary Islands. The cycle takes its name, Maghek (“who creates light”), from the sun goddess of the Guanches, the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands.

Ayssuragan, symphonic poem for clarinet and orchestra, is part of this ambitious creative project. It is a composition in which somewhat complex tools come together, such as elements of the spectral compositional current and procedures related to mathematics and computing. The work allows us to experience aspects of the nature of sound that are difficult to access otherwise. On the other hand, this concert is emphatically melodic, timbral, sweet and, at times, fast-paced. Thus, although it may seem paradoxical, Ayssuragan has, on the one hand, a highly original facet that makes the listener enjoy an unusual musical experience; however, on the other hand, it presents an accessible and direct musical discourse.

The Scottish National Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo Portal (conductor), Richardo Descalzo (piano) and Cristo Barrios (clarinet) participated in this project. The project was financed by the BBVA Foundation (Leonardo scholarship), the Government of the Canary Islands, El Cabildo de Tenerife and El Cabildo de Gran Canaria.

Texto de Cristo Barrios

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Artists

Gustavo Díaz-Jerez, composer
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Eduardo Portal, conductor
Cristo Barrios, clarinet
Ricardo Descalzo, piano

Reviews

“The clarinet, played with virtuosity by Cristo Barrios, is allowed to gallop wildly across Ayssuragan, to dream softly in between, to be pampered with a few lyrical notes by the English horn, to chirp in competition with the flute, and then to be carried by the orchestra again and again.” (DAS ORCHESTER).

“The mysterious Ayssuragan (La Palma), with solo clarinet splendidly served by clarinetist Cristo Barrios.” (Tomás Marco para SCHERZO)

“Here it applies to the spirit of desolation and ghostliness imparted throughout by Cristo Barrios, an excellent soloist whose playing is bold and sensitive by turn.” (MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL)

“In this concerto, the solo clarinet seems to simply emerge from nothing, creating at first an intimate, yet sombre sound world where the clarinet’s keening seems to relate to the narrative of what happened on the island. By the end, we have been on a journey with Barrios demonstrating both poetry and virtuosity in the solo part.” (PLANET HUGILL – A WORLD OF CLASSICAL MUSIC)

List of works

Gustavo Díaz-Jerez (n. 1970)
Ymarxa, Tenerife
Ayssuragan, La Palma. Soloist: Cristo Barrios (clarinet)
Guanapay, Lanzarote. Soloist: Ricardo Descalzo (piano)
Chigaday, La Gomera
Azaenegue, Gran Canaria
Erbane, Fuerteventura
Aranfaybo, El Hierro