# Grundman - Surviving a Son's Suicide op.16 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Jorge Grundman is a Spanish composer, musicologist, musician and professor. During the 1980s Grundman was a member of some Spanish pop groups where he was the singer, keyboard player, composer and arranger. Later he started composing new age music, film music, TV scores and then classical music. His classical music is predominantly highly emotional with extensive use of tonal and consonant minor chords. 
Composed in 2012, 'Surviving a Son's Suicide' refers to "imagined experiences and memories" (not those of Grundman) and is dedicated to Joan Valent and the Blau Kamara Quartet. Grundman refers to the work as a "tone poem for string quartet" and says of the works on this recording (it's paired with God's Sketches, a work for soprano, percussion and SQ)...... 

_"First of all, I would like to humbly say I am sorry because there is nothing new in the music I write and, moreover, it was not even my intention. This might be the reason why I prefer to say that I consider myself a writer of music more than a composer. I just try to tell stories through the music narrative. I do this in the simplest, almost naive way possible. However, if there is something that leads me when I start writing a piece, it is to avoid communicating something tiring and boring. I want people to find my music sentimental and moving and also, as far as possible, to fancy listening to it again. I am talking about being accessible to the listener and the performers. In other words, I do not write for composers.
In fact, I think these values are pretty hidden in much of the music that is written nowadays. It seems that it is important to know the date in which a piece was written or how it should be understood before listening to it. Let me take an example: if Beethoven had never written his Symphony N° 6, known as “Pastoral”, and someone would write it these days... Would not we have the same right to be moved and enjoy it? Why? Why would not it contribute anything new? Would it not be understood just by itself?
I think that music, as all arts, should not have sell-by date or the need of an explanation to communicate 6 emotions. And, please, do not misinterpret me. I could not dream of comparing the faintest of my hemidemisemiquavers to the work of Beethoven. I wish I could write a quaver rest as well as he did.
But let me insist, just in case I did not express myself well: I do not mean that we should not investigate, advance and contribute something new in music, but I think it is possible that both lines of writing coexist. I do not think, then, that Verdi's maxim “...Torniamo all antico, e sara un progreso...” (“If we come back to the old, it will be a progress”) could be applied to my work. I feel sorry if somebody approaches my scores and hopes to find a different kind of music. That was not my intention. I only try to tell stories. Or rather, I try to write music for them."_

As far as the work goes it's a tonal, melodic and highly emotional piece and not as depressing as you would expect.
I. Browsing his Childhood Photographs
The first movement, as expected, is highly nostalgic and emotive and one can easily imagine photos of a young child's first walk or pictures of sunny days in the park. Harmonies and melodies are used take the the photographs you cannot see and the music goes through melodic changes, especially in a more light-hearted trio , set against a relaxed, gentle tempo set by the viola and cello with high violins soaring above. 
II. Remembering his Awkward Age
Here the music quickens and busy pizzicati provide most of the accompaniment and melody. Only rarely does the first violin soar in this fine movement (with a predominantly Spanish feel). The melody being picked pizzicato by the first violin is a novel touch and gives a lightness to the music that I didn't expect. 
III. His Room as He Left It
This more melancholy movement begins with the cello playing an ostinato, the viola liltingly toying with your emotions whilst the violins introduces a tender melody. The music goes through various changes with the ostinato returning sporadically throughout the movement until it ends gently and wistfully.
It's a very enjoyable work and one well worth hearing. I like how Grundman tries to tell stories in his music and the interesting thing here is that rather than focusing on being maudlin he, instead, addresses the the subject in an emotive, wistful more positive light.
This is all 3 movements as performed by the Brodsky Quartet. 














There's only one recording and that's by the aforementioned *Brodsky Quartet* and what a lovely performance it is. Their rendering of all movements is beautifully carried off and they capture the melancholy, the sad and smiling nostalgia, the tenderness and a whole gamut of emotions through expressive phrasing, perfect intonation and great clarity. A marvellous recording which might be difficult to better, even in a busy field.

_*Incidentally there's, also a nice lute transcription (op.16a) by the Cuarteto Aguilar that's worth hearing. _


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