Lament i Divertiment (Lamento and Divertimento)

Lamento and Divertimento was written for the violoncello players of Barcelona, and specifically for the Claret Family: Lluís, Anna and Daniel (father, mother and son). The commission arose at a concert for solo cello in the Palau Robert, when the organizer Jordi Busqué suggested I write a piece for the Claret family, to be premiered in the same hall one year later. The beauty of the instrument, of great lyricism, extension and expressive possibilities and the desire to write something for the Claret family, made me decide to write this work during the Christmas holidays. Lament is based on a melody from my operetta Abans del silenci (Before Silence) with a mournful character. Without interruption, the Divertimento begins in Allegro tempo, mysteriously at the beginning, but progressively acquiring more tension and volume. The central part is totally based on a fun Andean rhythm (huayno) also taken from my cantata El viatge de Kira i Jan (Kira and Jan’s journey). A changed re-exposition of the first Allegro closes the piece, searching for the mystery of the beginning.

(Salvador Brotons)