Celtic Suite Quasi una Fantasia: Waltz and Reel by Alan Heiblum

Flautist: Simone Maurer
Recorded: 2nd July 2016
The Celtic Suite Quasi una Fantasia (Aria, Jig, Slip Jig, Waltz, Reel) is a summer english suite that was composed during peculiar circumstances. I returned to the UK after a Kafkaesque stay abroad due to the inexplicable ineptitude of the British border agency about replacing my stolen visa. Interesting, something unexpected and happened. I noticed that my faculties of composer, which were in a slumber for more than 2 years, were finally awaken. A suite for solo flute came very straightforward. During the month of August, first I composed the reel in the gardens of Cambridge, then the jig and slip jig under the beauty light of Bristol, and finally the waltz and the aria through the inspiration of London. The piece is dedicated to Simone Maurer because her talent, charm and beauty are, perhaps, the main cause for this return to the composition.
A very short version of the famous myth of Marsyas, the flutist satyr, runs as follows: Marsyas was so virtuoso that his fame climbed the Olympus and went directly to Apolo’s ears. In some versions the god is the one who challenges the Satyr in others goes otherwise, either way, a public musical combat took place and the muses, sycophants of Apolo, gave him the triumph. As had been told the winer could treat as he pleased the loser, and to this case the god simply chose to scarify the satyr. There are so much flute pieces somehow related with this myth that has become a simple common place. Unfortunately to myself, now this piece is not an exception. However the suite touches two more subtile aspects often hidden by the violence and cruelty of the myth. The first one is that Marsyas was called a wiseman. This is interesting only after noting that the greek term employed was “sunesis”. Sunesis denotes "a running together" (for example, of two rivers), and then means the capability of synthesis. I tried that this piece was another example: the flowing together of two traditions, one more celtic and the other more classical. Thus, as an example, the listener may hear themes of celtic flavour developed with the tools of classical composition and viceversa. The second way in that the piece is close to the myth of Marsyas is the following. Marsyas was also consider the proponent of free speech. The greek term employed was “parrhesia" which means something like telling, in spite of the danger, the truth to the face of power. Parrhesia is about defending particular points of view and, therefore, opposed to rhetoric and generalisation. Of course one doesn’t need to be in the extreme case of being a fair journalist in Mexico threaten to death by the Governor of Veracruz, to be an example of parreshia. Since I am not placing myself in any risk with this suite, the reference is a much nuanced one. Is just because its discourse drinks from frankness, and tries not to persuade, but, to such a case, simply to sound.
Alan Heiblum (1982, Mexico) is Dr in philosophy of science. Currently he is visiting scholar in the HPS Department of the University of Cambridge. Besides Philosophy and Physics he also studied composition as an autodidact under the guide of profesor Mario Stern (2002-2004). Later he took two advances curses with the composer and director Juan Trigos (2008). Also in Mexico, he participated in Navarro's Soundtrack Laboratory (2010). In Uruguay he participated as a home composer of the string orchestra Grupos Sonantes (2011).

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