Ametsak

With Ametsak, IBS Classical presents a compelling monographic album devoted to the music of Gabriel Erkoreka (Bilbao, 1969), one of the most distinctive figures in contemporary Spanish composition. Performed by the Zahir Ensemble under the direction of Juan García Rodríguez, this recording brings together key works from different stages of Erkoreka’s career, unified by a profound exploration of memory, time, and altered states of consciousness.

The album takes its title from the triptych Ametsak (“dreams” in Basque), composed between 2013 and 2021. These three chamber works form the conceptual core of the program and reflect Erkoreka’s long-standing interest in the human mind and its non-linear perception of time. Departing from rational, chronological musical discourse, Ametsak immerses the listener in a sound world shaped by distortion, fragmentation, and superimposed temporal layers—sonic analogues of the dream state itself.

In Ametsak 1, written for piccolo, bass clarinet, violin, cello and piano, Erkoreka exploits extreme registers to create an enveloping sonic space of striking depth and contrast, with the piano acting as a resonant axis. Ametsak 2 pushes perception to the limit through extreme tempi, oscillating between stasis and frenetic motion, while Ametsak 3 adds a further layer of unreality by superimposing divergent temporal structures, leading the listener away from rational comprehension towards a purely sensory experience.

The album also includes Trance (2008), a pivotal work in Erkoreka’s output, in which altered states of consciousness become both subject and structure. Inspired by the concept of “elastic time,” Trance unfolds as a sonic cartography of dissociation and doubling, where static, timeless passages coexist with moments of intense agitation. Time no longer advances but folds, dissolves, and multiplies, inviting the listener into an immersive psychological landscape.

The second half of the program turns toward place and memory through three works connected to toponymy and cultural heritage. Izaro (2001), a Pierrot ensemble quintet, reflects on spiritual abandonment through fragmented musical materials and contrasting temporal planes. Orreaga (2014), inspired by Mikel Laboa’s experimental Lekeitioak, establishes a dialogue between folk tradition and the avant-garde, transforming vocal and instrumental gestures into a rich, evolving texture. The album concludes with Tomba del tuffatore (2023), a meditation on the mystery of an ancient Greek tomb painting, where ambiguous sonorities and restrained pulses evoke the threshold between life and death.

Recorded in Seville in 2024, Ametsak stands as a powerful portrait of Erkoreka’s compositional universe: a music of tension and transformation, where sound becomes a tool for exploring multiple realities. The Zahir Ensemble’s committed and precise interpretation, under Juan García Rodríguez’s direction, brings exceptional clarity and intensity to this demanding repertoire, reaffirming their central role in the performance and dissemination of contemporary music.

Zahir Ensemble
Juan García Rodríguez, Conductor