Rodrigo Mata: Zephyr for Unaccompanied Double bass
By Rodrigo Mata. Dedicated to David Heyes on his 60th birthday
About the Composition
Work inspired by nature, quoting a bit to Greek mythology. The idea of composing a 60-second work for Master Heyes, led me to think about creating a simple and clear work, inspired by the wind. Zephyr is part of a serie of 4 small pieces for unaccompanied double bass, entitled "Anemoi"
"Zhephyr" (Greek: Zhephyrus), is the name of one of the 4 gods of the wind according to Greek mythology, each of these is characterized by bringing gusts of wind from different cardinal points and at different seasons of the year. Zephyrus is the one that brings a gust of the west and brings the light early summer breeze, this makes allegory that it is a work with a Mexican passport that visits the United Kingdom. This small work evokes a very soft atmosphere, manifested with harmonic pizzicatos with a lot of resonance that emulates a very subtle breeze and is structured with a simple modal melodic motif that is repeated several times and then turned into a small coda, all this always wrapped in a slow funk rhythm.
This work has been premiered by David Heyes himself on December 15, 2019, in a concert in Wells, United Kingdom, together with works by great composers such as Teppo Hauta.aho, Simón García, Bernard Salles, David Heyes, Frank Proto, and Tony Osborne. In the same way, it has been premiered in a virtual concert by MUSHAMUKAS double bass ensemble on August 12 from León, Mexico.
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