Commissioned by Dana Point Symphony (California, USA) for the inaugural concert of the orchestra.

Premiere: April 13th, 2012. Conductor: Dean Anderson

Instrumentation: 3.2.2.2 – 4.3.3.1 – perc (4+timp) – harp – strings

SYMPHONIC GENESIS - Program Notes

(Celebrating the birth of the Dana Point Symphony Orchestra)

 At a time when Arts & Culture are being sacrificed in the name of budgetary adjustments, nothing can be more satisfying for a composer than to receive a commission to celebrate the birth of a new Symphony Orchestra. Having spent half of my life in the Mediterranean coast of Valencia (Spain), and the other half in Southern California, this project gave me the opportunity to unite these two parts of my past.

 Nowhere is this blend more spectacular than in Dana Point, where the Mediterranean light and the enormity of the American landscape coexist together in perfect symbiosis.  It’s this organic aspect that I wanted to explore in my piece.

 Symphonic Genesis is a symphonic poem composed of several sections that flow continuously without pauses. Each of those sections depicts a stage in the creation process. 

I. The Germ - The piece begins with a long theme by the Horns, which will serve as the germ for the piece, from which all the rest of thematic material will derive. In the same way the DNA has strands in a double helix shape, the different motifs intertwine with each other creating complex textures that will eventually lead us into:

II. The Creation - This is a contemplative state in which we take the time to reflect on the creation. It is a slow movement without any particular motif, just a continuous pulse towards life and survival. That abstract life impulse, will develop into something more tangible, a sense of:

III. Exhilaration - the feeling one inevitably will experience when they first see Dana Point’s breathtaking views, its subtle tones and an intense but gentle light that reminds us of the Mediterranean joy. 

Even though one might feel the peaceful and delicate tranquility of the landscape, I wanted to go beyond that and focus on the monumental and majestic beauty that lies behind the apparent simplicity of the perfectly balanced harmony of the place. Such an overwhelming beauty sometimes brings you a joyful exuberance, and other times reminds you of the glorious magnificence of nature. To conclude the piece, a

IV.  Majestic – A solemn but subdued epilogue brings the creation to a placid resolution, simple in nature but resonating with natural overtones that linger into the atmosphere