No more rehearsing almost every day of the week and sharing space in the fridge: everything has changed for us in this new stage. This month we had the opportunity to overcome, for the first time, the obstacles dictated by distance and share the same stage again. Three days of intense rehearsals allowed us to enjoy in Puebla de la Calzada (Extremadura) on 12 November and in Nigrán (Galicia) on 13 November a programme that combined works from our usual repertoire with other new ones, two of them world premieres by the composers Eduardo Soutullo and María José Fontán.
Wednesday morning, Thursday morning and afternoon and Friday morning: these were the spaces we reserved for our intensive rehearsals, not without first having carried out a conscientious organisation of the working time and a deep individual study of each part. This was the time we had to reconnect and recover sensations from almost four months ago. It is curious to see that there are certain things that are not forgotten and that the countless hours we have shared together over the years have left an indelible mark on us. It is likely that the fact that we had lived in the same flat for several years had something to do with it, but incredibly it seemed as if, in that week in November, everything was still the same as it had been a year ago.
Despite the fatigue of travelling to Seville on Friday afternoon and arriving at our accommodation in Montijo (Badajoz) at almost one o'clock in the morning, we woke up on Saturday with a lot of energy ready to do a productive dress rehearsal and work on the piece June with María José Fontán. Actually, our good mood had a lot to do with our parents, especially Miquel's, who drove the van in which we travelled those days; and Jaime's, who came all the way to Badajoz to support us and enjoy the concert. What would we do without them?
Before the concert in Puebla de la Calzada, we did our first public talk, in which we talked about our experience as a band and other issues of the musical life around us; it was very interesting to listen to the questions and reflections of all the attendees, and we are very grateful for this opportunity!
After an exciting concert, in which for the first time we performed two absolute premieres, we went to rest so that we could leave punctually at 7:30 in the morning for Galicia, our next destination. We arrived in Nigrán ten hours later on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Before the concert, we had the opportunity to work briefly with Eduardo Soutullo on his piece, in which, by the way, we had to deal with a peculiar spatial distribution that made communication between us difficult. The bad weather and the long hours of travelling did not prevent the attendance of the audience, full of friends and family, who filled the Auditorium of Nigrán.
Undoubtedly, a beautiful weekend that concluded with an exciting concert and, above all, with a strong affirmation of the life and continuity of Lítore Quartet. See you next time!
