Peregrine

Programme note 1


Agustín Fernández: Peregrine

The title refers to a number of different things: to a falcon, to something outlandish, to a literal translation of the Spanish for ‘pilgrim’ (peregrino), and hence to a poem by the Bolivian poet Ricardo Jaimes Freire: Peregrina paloma imaginaria (literally ‘peregrine imaginary dove’, but the main thing here is the rhythm formed by the words in Spanish). The lone, high-flying predator, often a condor or an eagle, is a recurrent theme in Bolivian folklore. So is the dove as a symbol of gentleness and love. What happens when the two meet? This musical exploration tests the extent to which lightness of texture can survive an accumulation of rhythmic impetus.

Peregrine was commissioned by Joel Sachs for the New Juilliard Ensemble, who gave the first performance at Lincoln Center in December 1996. The Tyneside ensemble Vaganza performed it in 1997 conducted by Ilan Volkov. The current version is an extensive revision prepared for a repeat performance at Lincoln Center in November 2005.

© Agustín Fernández

Programme note 2


Agustín Fernández: Peregrine

There are different possible meanings to the above title; any of them is appropriate to the piece. You can picture a predatory bird soaring through the skies and searching for prey. You can visualise the ruthless hunter swooping down on an innocent lamb. In the lyrics of some folksongs I heard in childhood, the high-flying bird is a spy, commissioned to come back and tell you what the person you desire gets up to when you cannot see them. Or you can think of a pilgrimage from place to place, or from rock to mountain. While admitting of these associations, this piece of music deals specifically with flight, the kinetic phenomenon. The prowess of defying gravity to take off and ascend, the gathering of momentum in the air, the calm confidence of gliding with motionless wings, and above all the exhilarating daredevilry of seeing how low it is possible to go without coming crashing down.

Peregrine was commissioned by Joel Sachs for the New Juilliard Ensemble, who gave the first performance at Lincoln Center in December 1996. The Tyneside ensemble Vaganza performed it in 1997 conducted by Ilan Volkov. The current version is an extensive revision prepared for a repeat performance at Lincoln Center in November 2005.

© Agustín Fernández