Turia, Francisco Coll’s five-movement concerto for guitar and ensemble of seven players has been released on BIS records. Christian Karlsen conducts Norrbotten NEO with Jacob Kellermann as soloist.
The 18-minute work takes its name from the dried-up river in Valencia which now hosts 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. When I was approached with this commission, I immediately knew that this 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 is very much in the fabric of this work, although it is always filtered through Coll’s distinctive sonorous imagination.
The disc pairs Coll’s work with the Rodrigo Concerto (with the London Philharmonic Orchestra) as well as another commission by Pete Harden and music by de Falla and Albeniz. More details can be found here
Stream the recording on Spotify here
2021 will see the release of two further discs of Coll's music: an orchestral portrait disc from the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Gustavo Gimeno (Pentatone), and a recording of Coll's Double Concerto with the composer himself conducting Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta and Camerata Bern (Alpha Classics).