Vassily Kandinsky stated in 1938, in his essay Der Wert eines Werkes der konkreten Kunst, that “each work of a valuable artist is so characteristically linked to the whole work that its origin is obvious: the ‘handwriting’ of the artist is recognisable”, in the varied combination “of the forms of expression (the ‘richness’ of the contents) and the strength (the ‘exactness’) of the expression”. This recording supports Kandinsky’s words by representing the unitary diversity of Benet Casablancas’ sound ‘calligraphy’ from a privileged angle for several reasons: as a manifestation of the composer’s cordial and continuous affinity for the clarinet (in its soloist, chamber and concertante meanings); because of the complicity in the project, governed by mutual admiration, of outstanding performers (Joan Enric Lluna and Josep Colom, close collaborators of the composer throughout his career, as well as all the members of the Moonwinds Ensemble) in a happy proposal that also offers the first absolute recordings of three works; and, finally, thanks to the variety of technical, instrumental and formal resources present in each composition, which turn this “clarinet alla Casablancas” into a successful synecdoche of a whole creative universe that expands in the broad chronological framework between 1975 (Inflexión triédrica y gratuita) and 2021 (Cuaderno de haikus).
(Germán Gan Quesada)