Esclat, sardana per a flabiol i piano

When I decided to introduce the flabiol as a concert instrument in late 1976 I had the good fortune – one could almost say the privilege – of being able to depend on one of the most prestigious accompanying pianists of the period: the maestro Manuel García Morante who, at that time, in addition to being a professor at the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona, was the regular accompanist for singers with such prestige as Carme Bustamente or Victòria dels Àngels.
From this professional and artistic relationship arose a personal friendship and mutual admiration. I would also like to take the opportunity to say that it was the maestro García Morante who proposed the creation of a class for teaching the flabiol to the management of the aforementioned Conservatory and this was entrusted to me and came to fruition at the beginning of the 1977-78 academic year.
The collaborations with the maestro García Morante lasted for several years and the friendship has lasted forever. The fruit of this friendship is this sardana, originally conceived for flabiol and piano, and of which I have the joy of being the dedicatee.
The language employed and the development have an unusual nature and are a clear reflection of the creative personality of the composer. It is not, therefore, a “flabiol obbligato” in the traditional configuration and sense, but rather a chamber piece for flabiol and piano in the form of a sardana.
The premiere was performed on 15 March 2012 by its protagonists – author and dedicatee – at the Toldrà Auditorium of the Municipal Conservatory of Barcelona in a concert where I celebrated my more than 40 years of dedication to the flabiol.
Jordi León
October 2021