La ciutat i les estrelles: Concertino per a piano i orquestra

The title of the composition alludes to a novel by the author Arthur Clarke; various episodes of the composition are evoked by the imaginary landscapes described in the text.

The work is conceived as a concertino for piano and small orchestra and is divided into three brief movements performed seamlessly. Each movement relates to a character or situation described in the novel. The first movement is suggested by the description of the self-sufficient, gargantuan structure of the imaginary city of Diaspar; the second movement conveys the feeling of solitude and silence one experiences on beholding a vast lake; the third and final movement is induced by the image of a solemn, mysterious statue.

The orchestra is divided into two differing blocks: wind instruments and string instruments, often with diverse, contrasting materials. The piano with sounds akin to percussion is the sounding board for everything that unfolds in the orchestra.

The City and the Stars was first performed at the Palau de la Música Catalana on 12 April 1980 by Barcelona City Orchestra, conducted by Joan Lluís Moraleda, with Josep Maria Escribano – to whom the work is dedicated – on piano. This edition is a version that was reworked in 2020.