Composer-conductor Francisco Coll continues his multi-season artistic collaboration with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias in April 2024, leading two performances of guitar concertino Turia, with soloist Jacob Kellermann, in Oviedo and Gijón. The programme is completed by Honegger’s Rugby and Sibelius’ Symphony No.1.
Turia (2017, arr. 2021) is in five movements, lasting 18 minutes. The work takes its name from Valencia’s river – a special river that contains no water but whose dried-out bed is now home to gardens, fountains, cafés and an opera house by architect Santiago Calatrava. ‘As a child,’ Coll explains, ‘I used to walk in this unusual river, full of light, flowers and people. I always thought that one day I would write the music of this river…[Turia] was my opportunity to write a piece for guitar and ensemble with Spanish luminosity. This soundscape evokes the light and the respective shadows of my country.’ Flamenco, ever-present in Coll’s music, infuses the spirit of Turia, although it is always filtered through Coll’s distinctive sonorous imagination.
Turia was originally written for guitar and chamber ensemble and premiered by Jacob Kellermann and the Norrbotten NEO Ensemble, conducted by Christian Karlsen in December 2017; their recording of the work was released in 2020. The version for guitar and chamber orchestra was also commissioned by Karlsen and Kellermann, who gave its first performance in October 2021 with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra at the International Guitar Festival in Uppsala. It received its UK premiere from Sean Shibe and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Delyana Lazarova, in March 2024; Shibe also presented the ensemble version of the piece at La Jolla Music Society in August 2024, conducted by Thomas Adès.
Coll previously conducted his Lilith in Asturias in April 2024; in June 2025 an expanded version of the piece will receive its world premiere from Nuno Coelho and the orchestra. The work, named for the Biblical and mythological figure who has enchanted numerous artists and writers, will be cast in three movements and last around 23 minutes. Gustavo Gimeno, a longstanding champion of Coll’s music, will give the North American premiere of the piece with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in March 2026.