On the night of Thursday September 26, the Teatro Principal in Palma experienced a probably unique moment. It’s true that One of the functions of our Symphony is to disseminate the work of composers from the archipelago, but this time, unprecedented factors intervened. The first of these was the commission of the Orquesta del Vallés de Marco Mezquida, Menorquin of a piano and orchestra concert finally presented in 2023 at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. The second, and more worrying, was that the commission did not come from the Balearic Symphony. It is the obligation of the artistic directors of the Balearic Symphony to know where the emerging value lies that needs to be promoted. Of course Mezquida is about to conquer the summit, but his affable and close character invited us to entrust him with this task.
However, having confirmed his mastery of improvisation and the dialogues he is capable of with other musical languages, It remained to test his ability to tackle a major work in the fields of what we call classical music. and more taking into account its variations appreciated on Beethoven which were heard at the Pollença Festival four years ago.
This is probably where the half-joking, half-serious proposal from the Vallés Symphony Orchestra was born. Marco Mezquida accepted the challenge and only a year later, Concerto for piano and orchestra (Talaiot) It ended up being a reality. Last year I asked Pablo Mielgo If he had planned the presentation of this concert in Palma and he said yes to me, only at the beginning of 2024 as part of the test chapter of the Music Box auditorium, before we knew that it was of fraud by the Pact to announce its inauguration for the fall of 2023.
I understand that It was a laudable act of good reflection to program “Talaiot” at the start of the OSIB cycle at the Teatro Principal in Palma. and what’s more, to take it immediately to Menorca, because that’s where the idea was born. This is precisely what made it important to present Talaïot in Palma and immediately after in Ciudadela (the 28th) and Mahón (the 29th).
The presence among the audience of many not accustomed to a classical music concert is interesting, because it is not in vain Marco Mezquida fits in well among the regulars of jazz and improvisationin addition to dialogues with other musicians, like a few days ago in Vic to present the album of the soulwhich collects the interactions between Mezquida and the flamenco guitarist Chicuelo. The music lover already appreciated his qualities in the Pollença Festivalwhere the humility of Marco Mezquida was surprising when he considered that it was not his place. Then came his Rhapsody in Blue of George Gershwin -masterful- in the Bellver Festival and shortly after we saw him leading his trio in the Voyeur Jazz Festival. All these audiences, as well as those of the Balearic Symphony, filled the theater to the brim and it was a total pleasure to observe the conjunction of such diverse artists. tribes musicals, standing at the end of the concert Talaïot.
As for what one could see and hear in the Principal, it was a huge flow of genius – without a doubt – but coupled with little experience in using the typical canons of classical music. Because this concert, despite the brief uses of atonality, is in reality a tribute to what is strictly academic, except when it comes to the solos where Marco Mezquida openly exercises his desire for freedom without any limits. It’s one thing to dream of Beethoven and another to personally experience a piano concerto. And from there, go to your friend’s house Francesc Llompart for advice and orchestration work. We are actually faced with a typical case youth workwhich means not mastering the keys.
In fact, Marco Mezquida was alonetherefore – as he always recognized himself – not respecting the usual structure of the classical concertgenerally arranged in three movements.
It is interesting to note the continued use of the beautiful but brief melody which ends up being omnipresent. leitmotif of the concert like a repeated cry enveloped in a dream that fills every full moon night. It is also the wind of Tramuntana which, with insistent frequency, stimulates the tutti of the orchestra. I sincerely believe that Marco Mezquida, over time, having reached greater artistic maturity, will end up organizing all the material to offer a sequel version of this concert andto do it with determination, A masterpiece will be born where the genius of Mezquida emerges among the murmurs of the orchestra itself. This is something I thought about while listening to the Concerto for piano and orchestra. It can’t stay like this. Certainly, it can’t stay like this, but, for now, Talaïot is already at home.
What about carefully chosen reminders? He Free of Good boy brings us closer to his irreducible spirit inspired by freedom and his variations on La Balanguera They are also a desire for freedom, offering us wonderful variations never heard before.
In brief Talaïot is already at home. And he did it after listening to it at the Festival de Pollença, at Bellver and at the Jazz Voyeur Festival. Now it was time to listen to his innermost thoughts during the nights of bauxa and reflection lived under the protection of what had been built thousands of years before by their ancestors. It was a magical nightOf course.
