Rubens ASKENAR - Poem of Shadows

Rubens ASKENAR - Poem of Shadows (2023) Poem of Shadows was commissioned by Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife for it’s 2022/23 season. The first performance was given by Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife in collaboration with Ensemble Resilience and Paco Díaz as soloists, on the 12th of May 2023 in Auditorio de Tenerife, conducted by Fabián Panisello. About the piece: “In those rare moments when the thirst for space is reciprocated, the senses weave a kind of tactile net that allows me to connect with the surrounding landscape“ (Luis Lenz). This work presents an exploration of the encounter between resonant sonic elements of different kinds, the creation of specific acoustic spaces, and the design of instruments that enable me to have great control over the generation and manipulation of various noises in a broad orchestral context. The main objective is to establish balance and consonance among different materials, where noise and saturated textures take on a significant harmonic dimension. The conception of these specific acoustic spaces, along with the design of instruments tailored to my creative needs, grants me a wide margin of control and freedom to shape the sonic landscape of the piece. In “Poem of Shadows,“ commissioned by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra for its 2022/23 season, it begins with saturated sonic stages immersed in various shading strategies, rigorously exploring the processes that generate these shadows, refining the resonances until achieving the desired brightness, translucency, and sonic objectivity. Here, conventional hierarchies in orchestral distribution fade away, giving equal prominence to each sound source as they transition through various harmonic states. The orchestra is structured into several vibrational bodies of similar acoustic importance: the orchestral block (a3) and an ensemble composed of four amplified solo instruments, including piano, percussion, clarinet, and violin. Additionally, the soloist role and the relocation of the timpanist stand out, positioned at the front of the orchestra, to the right of the solo quartet. Among these three sources of sound production, spatially differentiated, resonances and resonators continuously animate the space, influencing unusual parameters due to their challenging operational control, such as the speed of resonance and the mapping of their gestural correspondences within the orchestral mass. The compositional process and its interpretation are elevated through demanding virtuosity, dedicated to the tireless pursuit of sonic refinement, the longed-for harmony, resonant nuance, and formal configuration. All of this is mediated by a rich and evocative timbral alchemy. In this amalgamation of light and spatiality, the process of sonic transformation is rooted in two constituent elements: a pedal and a melody. Like a poetic echo of the Middle Ages, the work finds its genesis in the fragmented chant of “Ave Generosa“ by Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179). This is presented at the beginning as a humble gesture, barely a shadow of its melodic magnitude, and then unfolds the fullness and clarity of its linear essence. The sonic fantasy that intertwines around the sound of the pedal acts as a contextual and pretextual framework for the definitive shaping of the work, where melody, space, light, and shadow converge.