“Offertorium”, from the Latin “offerre”, is a work in which austerity and simplicity take centre stage. I wanted to minimise as far as possible, and at all levels, the compositional means used. Harmony, melody, dialogue between voices, rhythm and timbre are presented in a totally stripped back fashion, in which minimal expression acquires the highest worth. The aim was, also, to bring to the fore a devotion to sound, to its simple vertical structures, so that what is most important is not what we listen to but, rather, the act of listening itself. “Offertorium” not only has religious connotations, emphasised here by the enveloping sound of the tam-tam that often accompanies the musical discourse and enhances the sense of mystery; the word that provides the title of the piece also represents our capacity to offer, to show, to commit, to give and to confide what we consider important to whom we consider important. And to do it with few words, naked, free of fuss, void of technical filling and of apparently attractive virtuosity: the message aims to be plain and accessible, where the word “essence” guides the listener through a contemplative listening experience, inner and austere. Bernat Vivancos, composer

Manuel Martínez, clarinet
Javier Vilaplana, clarinet
Martí Guasteví, corno di bassetto
Alejandro Castillo, bass clarinet