The intimate, delicately scored music of the Catalan composer Federico Mompou seemed like the embodiment of quiet listening. His four volumes of Música callada (Silent Music) are inspired by the writings of the 16th-century Spanish mystic San Juan de la Cruz, who alluded to “La musica Callada, la Soledad Sonora” (Silent Music, Sonorous Solitude). As Mompou himself explained, “…the idea of music that was the very sound of silence. Music keeps its voice silent, that is, does not speak, while solitude has its own music.”
Gathering Music: Adam Kent, piano
From Impresiones íntimas ~ Federico Mompou
Pájaro triste (Sad Bird) • La barca (The Boat) • Cuna (Cradle Song) • Canço i dansa 1 (Song and Dance)
Offertory:
The Sound of Silence ~ Paul Simon
Parting Music:
Secreto ~ Federico Mompou