MP3 Samples

SELECTED MP3 SAMPLES

The Labyrinth: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 15'; Instruments: String quartet; Year of Composition: 2003; Comments: A piece built in a modular structure which gives the performers the freedom of choosing 'their way out' of the Labyrinth. Premiered in Manchester QuartetFest 2004, it also received performances at the Wigmore Hall and the City of London Festival by the Set-là Quartet. Oscar gave a pre-concert talk at LSO’s St. Luke’s Church, followed by a performance of ‘The Labyrinth’ (March, 2004), as part of the LSO Discovery Series: 'Discovering New Music'.

The Ruinous Circles: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 4'; Instruments: Oboe (or flute), and string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello); Year of Composition: 2003; Comments: Inpired by the narrative of Julio Cortázar. Premiered in the Congress of European Conservatoires in Birmigham, 'The Ruinous Circles' (2003) has been included in the cd Ítaca - Contemporanis de la Mediterrània, published by the Area of Acoustic Creation Foundation. The cd is a live recording of the concert given by the Grup Instrumental de València for the 2006 Encontre Internacional de Compositors, Mallorca.

Cantus: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 12'; Instruments: Solo violin, flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, bassoon, 2 horns, celesta, 2 vlns, viola, cello, double bass.; Year of Composition: 2004; Comments: A chamber violin concerto inspired by the writings of Ortega y Gasset and the poetry of Miguel Hernández. Premiered at the Wigmore Hall the 7th of June, 2005.

Saturn Devouring his Children: Genre: Orchestral; Duration: 12'; Instruments: 2.2.2.2/4.2.3.1/hp/timp/1perc/strings; Year of Composition: 2004; Comments: A passacaglia for orchestra inspired by Goya's painting of the same name. Winner of the Musicians Company Dr. Alfred Prindl Memorial Prize at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, 2005.

Don Quixote: Genre: Stage/Dance; Duration: 8'; Instruments: 2 sopranos, mezzo, tenor, baritone, horn, guitar, violin, cello, double-bass; Year of Composition: 2005; Comments: Short opera scene after Cervantes and Aristophanes.

The Blue Flask: Genre: Orchestral; Duration: 4'; Instruments: Flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, strings; Year of Composition: 2005; Comments: Nocturne for chamber orchestra inpired by the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Winner of the Guildhall School/Orchestra of the Swann Composition Prize.

Dues Mesures: Genre: Solo/Duet; Duration: 7'; Instruments: Organ; Year of Composition: 2005; Comments: Commissioned by the Institut Valencià de la Música, and premiered in the Ensems Festival, May 2005.

Open the Curtains: Genre: Orchestral; Duration: 14'; Instruments: String Orchestra; Year of Composition: 2005; Comments: Commissioned by the Orchestra of the Swann for the opening of their 10th Anniversary Series, in November 2005.

The Betrayal of Images: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 10'; Instruments: String quartet; Year of Composition: 2005; Comments: Inspired by Magritte's painting of the same name.

Cançons Elementals: Genre: Vocal/Choir; Duration: 10'; Instruments: Soprano and piano; Year of Composition: 2006; Comments: Songs to poems by V. A. Estellés. Lyrics in Catalan.

Yellow Light: Genre: Vocal/Choir; Duration: 11'; Instruments: Soprano, violin, viola, oboe (c.anglais), bassoon (contrabassoon), and 2 harps.; Year of Composition: 2006; Comments: Written for the Philharmonia Orchestra series Music of Our Time to poems by Emily Dickinson. Premiered at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, June 2006, by soprano Elizabeth Atherton, Philharmonia Orchestra Musicians and conducted by Robin O'Neill.

Brief History of Sand: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 7'; Instruments: Violin, cello, double-bass and piano; Year of Composition: 2006; Comments: Commissioned by Sounds Underground Ensemble and premiered at the Warehouse, Waterloo in March 2006.

Funeral Music for a Meat Market: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 6'; Instruments: Wind, brass and percussion ensemble.; Year of Composition: 2006; Comments: Modelled after Purcell's Funeral Music for Queen Mary. Premiered at the City of London Festival by the Guildhall New Music Ensemble.

Le Vitrail Englouti: Genre: Orchestral; Duration: 11'; Instruments: 3.3.3.3/4.3.3.1/2perc/timp/harp/strings; Year of Composition: 2007; Comments: A piece for large orchestra commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music and inspired by the parallels between late Mediaeval and Contemporary societies, and an exploration of Romanesque and Gothic aesthetics through contemporary composition. The piece was premiered the 2nd of February, 2007 at the Royal Academy of Music by its Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Cohen. The French conductor Yan-Pascal Tortelier mentored the project.

I Have to Talk to Broken Things: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 7'; Instruments: Flute/piccolo, oboe/c.anglais, Bb clarinet, Bb clarinet/Bass clarinet, horn, trombone, 2 keyboard players (1.harmonium/harpsichord, 2. piano/celesta), 2 violins, viola, cello, double-bass.; Year of Composition: 2007; Comments: Òscar was one of the three Royal Academy of Music students selected by Yale University to participate in a collaborative project between the two institutions: the 'Cross-Atlantic Partnership', intended to foster understanding and creative exchange between the two sides of the Atlantic. 'I Have to Talk to Broken Things', an hommage to Giotto, was premiered in London the 24th of April, at the Royal Academy of Music, conducted by Simon Bainbridge, receiving its American premiere a week later at Yale University (New Haven, Conn.).

The Thinking Machine: Genre: Chamber/Ensemble; Duration: 13'; Instruments: String sextet (2 vlns, 2 vlas, 2 vcs); Year of Composition: 2008; Comments: This piece is inspired by the work of the Mallorcan monk Ramon Llull and the writings of Borges. Its modular structure and the multiple cross-references try to move away from a closed-linear conception of musical time to a liquid one.

Clothes crying slow, dirty tears: Genre: Orchestral; Duration: 7'; Instruments: Flute (alto fl.), oboe (c.anglais), clarinet (bass cl.), bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, 1 perc., piano, strings; Year of Composition: 2008; Comments: An Aldeburgh Festival commission, this is the second of a series of nocturnes for chamber orchestra inspired by the collection of poems 'Residency on Earth' by Latinamerican author Pablo Neruda. 'Clothes crying slow, dirty tears' takes its name from the last verse of Neruda’s poem 'Walking around'.