Obertura Costa Brava – Catalan Rhapsody No. 4

The Obertura Costa Brava (Overture Costa Brava) was composed by commission of the Festival Internacional de Torroella de Montgrí to celebrate its 25th anniversary. My objective was to write a piece that represented the aggression of the Costa Brava (wind, sea, waves), the brightness of the Mediterranean, the poetic smell of the summer nights and the Catalan scent present in the landscape. Hence the symbiosis of Overture and Rhapsody in the title.
The piece starts with the strength of a clear summer afternoon with a strong Tramuntana wind. After a transition, the second theme is soft and pleasant and is presented by the oboe over harmonious strings. A growing development brings us to a bright opening, which the timpani culminate spectacularly. A soft and distant ambience emanates subtly from the high strings with mutes, bringing us to a central part, which is slow, evocative and totally based on the Catalan, popular song “la filla del carmesí”. The flute presents it, the cellos continue and finally the whole orchestra finishes  it overa highly chromatic harmony.       

Salvador Brotons

AUDIO