Rebroll (Rebirth), Symphonic Movement No. 1 for symphonic band

Rebroll was composed during the autumn of 1982 and the winter of 1983. One of the requirements for the second year of composition studies at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music was to write a piece for wind instruments. Thus, I took the initiative to write a short poem or symphonic movement for band, which I had the pleasure of premiering with the Barcelona Municipal Band under my direction in 1984.

Given the success of the piece, with numerous performances around the world, I revisited it in the summer of 2017, transcribing it into the computer, slightly revising the instrumentation and, for practical reasons, simplifying the ensemble: I reduced the number of flutes, oboes, and bassoons from four to three.

Rebroll Opus 31 (1982) for symphonic band is inspired by the phrase from the Catalan thinker Francesc Pujols: “Catalan thought always regrows and survives its illusory undertakers.”

Although the piece is conceived as a single movement, it can be divided into three distinct parts under the subtitles:

1. War and Defeat
2. Silence and Desert
3. Hope and Rebirth

The first part, Allegro feroce, represents a nation desperately fighting to defend its culture and identity. Formally, it follows a sort of sonata form with a development and a heavily modified recapitulation. The music conveys strength, aggressiveness, and energy, including a contrapuntal interplay of the presented themes to reach a climax.

The second part, Largo statico, is reflective, introverted, and static, representing a meditation on a discriminated culture. The pathetic character of this section is expressed through a dialogue between the tenor saxophone and the bass clarinet, accompanied by a timpani pedal.

Gradually, with the vibraphone suggesting a ray of sunlight, the piece transitions into the third part, Tranquillo espansivo, where the rebirth begins, as the title suggests. Finally, the music becomes serene, lyrical, and tonal, with an expansive theme introduced by the clarinets. The initial theme from the first section reappears in the bass instruments, transformed by the bright colors of the harp, vibraphones, and flutes, before returning to the lyrical theme of the third section. This entire part is brilliantly orchestrated and concludes with an extensive and triumphant coda.

Salvador Brotons