“The Art of Ensemble” with works by the composer Benet Casablancas was released in January 2018 by Sony Classical. The London Sinfonietta, under the baton of Felix Krieger, presents Casablanca’s oeuvre, written in 2010-2014:
Dove of Peace. Homage to Picasso (2010), Octeto (2010), Four Darks in Red, After Rothko (2010), Mokusei Gardens. A Viennese notebook (2014), “… the gray forest shook itself under him” (2011) and Dance, Song and Celebration (homage to Xavier Montsalvatge) (2012).
“One can describe the music of Casablancas as contemporary classizism and this includes in his own words to „never losing sight of one´s musical heritage, knowing where we come from in order to keep advancing, following our own voice.“ The composers great interest and his love to other art forms -painting and literature- is expressed in four of his works on this CD: sources of inspiration have been Picasso´s Dove of peace, Rothko´s Four darks in red, a quote from Büchner´s story Lenz and Nootebooms lovestory Mokusei!. But the listener should not think, here occurs only a mechanical translation of paintings or literature into music.
Casablancas´ music is never a describing or programmatic music, it remains always abstract and absolute. Paintings and texts are sources of inspiration in a sense, that they correspond with the inner and transform its spiritual essence into music.”
(Felix Krieger)