Simon Garcia writes: "Unfortunately I did not meet Frantisek Posta but friends have told me about him and I think he was a of those people who seem that they will never leave us. When this happens it´s inevitable to reflect about life and think about the transience of life. We feel different emotions - sometimes we feel sadness or longing become helplessness or anger, or a mixture of all these feelings. In this piece I try to convey this.
The piece begins with an introduction "Slow with fantasy" where the player can show their ability to sing; it continues with an allegro where a lot of mixed feelings are expressed. The thematic material throughout the piece is based on three notes - E-F-E."
The Transience of Life was premiered by David Heyes on Saturday 8 March 2014 at St Michael the Archangel, Teignmouth (UK). It received its Czech premiere at Prague Conservatoire on 6 April 2014 by David Heyes and its Dutch premiere at Shouwberg Almere on 26 August 2014 by Dan Styffe.
The Transience of Life was recorded by David Heyes on the CD 'Postcards from Prague' for PrimaFACIE records (PFCD040), released on 2 March 2016 and available on Amazon, itunes and spotify on 10 May 2016. Copies of the CD are available from doublebass@tiscali.co.uk
Bassist and composer Simon Garcia was born in Mugardos (Spain) in 1977 and graduated in double bass from the Conservatorio Superior of Salamanca. He has worked as a double bassist in the Royal Orchestra of Galicia, having also performed in many orchestras throughout Spain, and is the bassist in the Symphony Wind Orchestra of A. Coruna. He has collaborated with many musicians and ensembles, particularly in the field of contemporary music, and has recorded and performed on many commercial recordings and for television and radio broadcasts.
Simon Garcia has composed more than twenty works for double bass, ranging from two to six players, alongside transcriptions of these pieces for various chamber ensembles. His music has been performed in Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Denmark, Spain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, USA and UK by The Bass Gang, Bass Instinct and Il Quint-etto amongst others, and some of his music was used as teaching material in the 2011 ISB Year of Collaborative Music.
Simon Garcia's music is lively, jazzy and rhythmic with great forward momentum and drive. Accessible for players and audiences alike, he writes colourful music of distinction and energy, employing the entire range of the double bass.
Simon Garcia was a Featured Composer and guest soloist at Bass-Fest 2013 (3-7 August, The Silk Mill, Frome, UK), when 10 of his works were performed, including the premiere of Time Capsule for double bass octet. He returns to Bass-Fest 2014 (15-17 August) again as a Featured Composer and soloist.
