Gallinària

Composers always like to meet good performers since these instrumentalists not only stimulate their creativity but also guarantee good performances of their works. Jep Nuix has many works dedicated to specific instrumentalists and it’s quite fascinating, being himself a flutist, his interest for the double bass. One immediately thinks of four names being both, motivation for composing and interpreters of the works here presented: Daniel Machado, Enric Ponsa, Rafael Esteve and Corrado Canonici.

From this starting point comes out a thorough investigation on the double bass sound possibilities: simultaneousness of pizzicato and bow, glissandos, harmonics, tremolos... all tested and agreed with the performers.

But all these interpretative considerations do not hinder Jep Nuix’s freedom of creativity. On the contrary, every one of the precise suggestions he gets from the instrumentalists gives him a wider quote of freedom and, even more important, he immediately knows how to use these options for his creativity. So the surprise is that the resulting works come through without any kind of restriction. The long and deep author-performer talks do not cause any deviation or any ill effects, and the music simply flows.

Being Jep Nuix always fond of word’s games and apparently superfluous links, the work Gallinària takes its name from small town in the noth of Catalonia called Galliners where Jep had spent very pleasant musical evenings.

It’s worth to clarify this point in order to give sense to the obvious imitation of a hen’s sound in the beginning of the work. Galliners, the town’s name, is clearly related to the word “gallina” (hen in catalan, and also in spanish). This is only an excuse to start the composition, one of the many eye winks that sparkles all his production. Jep Nuix does not intend to evoke a chicken. He evokes that town and the memories it brings back to him.

The work’s structure is clear: the initial theme we had discussed reappears at the end with sufficient clearness to bring a conclusive sense. In the development there are different episodes: sharp volume contrasts, chromatic descents on a pedal that converts the double basses into a polyphonic instrument...

It is a virtuoso piece, somehow like a studio, but with enough space for interpretation. In simple words: all the notes have to be played and following all the accurately written information but the interpreter can shape the piece to his own way.

Frederic Sesé