Adrià's Confessions

Adrià's Confessions (2020) is a concerto for guitar and orchestra written by the award-winning composer Marián Budoš (Australia/Slovakia). The concerto is inspired by the million-copy best-selling novel Confessions (Jo Confesso) by the author Jaume Cabré. Australian guitarist Jacob Cordover gave the premiere performance in 2021 at the iconic Palau de la Música concert hall in Barcelona with the Orquestra del Reial Cercle Artistic under the baton of Helena Bayo.

Adrià's Confessions is the result of art inspiring art across cultures, languages and mediums. After reading the celebrated multi-award winning, literary masterpiece Confessions by the Catalonian novelist Jaume Cabré, Marián Budoš was so deeply impacted by the story, that it sparked within him the need to create a sound world for this book. This became the foundation for a unique piece of music, a book-concerto for guitar and orchestra. The book, Confessions, is described by the literary agent in symphonic terms, saying “...an instant bestseller in more than 30 languages, Confessions is an astonishing story of one man's life, interwoven with a narrative that stretches across centuries to create an addictive and unforgettable literary symphony.” (Agencia Balcells)

Adrià's Confessions is a unique and expansive piece of music which doesn't follow the typical form, or structure of an instrumental concerto. Described by the composer as a book-concerto, the piece is more like a musical retelling of a literary classic, with the main characters from the book assigned an instrument to allow them to communicate with each other, as they do in the novel: Adrià's best friend - the violin, the love interest - the harp, the mother - the oboe, the father - the bassoon, etc. The characters of the book often play solo, or with other instruments, usually in a duet, trio, or quartet, sometimes supported by the orchestra (especially the string section) and sometimes on their own. The guitar (Adrià) is the protagonist and interacts with other characters most frequently.

In the retelling of such a vast novel that spans Europe across several centuries, the composer has cleverly imagined a soundtrack to the book that, page by page, follows the characters, the plot and the emotions of the story. As with all great works of art, even if you've not read the book, the music is approachable, with a rich orchestration - big brass, lush strings, colorful winds and such memorable melodies that the audience can't help but be swept up on an epic journey of their own imagining. The composition is so communicative as to not require the audience´s familiarity with the text. However, those that have read the book will be amazed at how clearly they can follow the dialogue and delight in reliving storylines of love and betrayal, and good and evil, told through harmonies and melodies.

Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.