ÚBEDA 2009

Martijn, do i sense a denial from Anthony that he actually received your monies for this? Have you kept your receipts?

Ooo. 'arry 's not gonna like that.
'e's not gonna like that AT ALL.

I´ll try to make it as short as possible. So here´s my Úbeda 2009 report. Hopefully, Anthony will provide some extra information.

The Conferences: I think Anthony has much more to say than me, as I´ve attended few conferences this year. I didn´t reach Úbeda until Friday afternoon so basically I was in the Giacchino conference and the roundtable Sunday afternoon. Giacchino´s conference was really fun, with most of the talking focused on his collaboration with JJ Abrams, Pixar and his work on videogames.
As for the roundtable, it was conducted by Patrick Doyle, who was like thinking out loud his thoughts about the festival and asking the rest of the composers his feelings about it. Specially excited and enthusiastic were Wataru Hokoyama and the younger composers, proud and happy to have shared a week with the big guys.

The Recital: too long and some of the non film music related pieces were too risky and tough, I mean some of them were a real challenge to film music fans, although later I was told that Philippe Rombi and Roque Baños were amazed by one particular composer (Zeltia Montes) that had selected one of those tough pieces I´ve talked about.

Fortunately, the recital was closed by Philippe Rombi at the piano, playing with a real skill (or should I say gift) some of his themes.

The Concert: highlights, IMO:

1 - Bsospirit Hymn (Aritz Villodas): we finally listened the festival´s hymn performed live. A great prelude to the concert.
2 – Claudio Simonetti: honestly, I didn´t know him before the festival, and I´ve discovered a great piano player. He performed a selection of themes based on his collaborations with director Dario Argento with the help of the choir´s soprano.
3 – Obviously, Michael Giacchino: watching him conducting his Lost suite with a full symphony orchestra and choir was one of the best moments ever experienced in Úbeda. The same goes for the Cloverfield Overture (although it was not the 12 minutes version but a shorter one), Ratatouille and Star Trek.
4 – Roque Baños conducting his suite of Torrente. In what was a joke for the people that has watched the Torrente film trilogy, director Santiago Segura sang the main song of “Torrente 2” while Roque was conducting the orchestra.
5 – Wataru Hokoyama: simply amazing the way he conducted and how great the orchestra sounded while performing “Savanna” and “Afrika” from his Afrika score. Most people didn´t know him and were pretty shocked with what they heard.
6 – Missing Lynx suite by Sergio de la Puente: for me, the true discovery of this year. A very good composer and a very nice person. We had plenty of talks during the festival and he was so thrilled to be there and to have the chance to show everybody his work. Actually, he told me he made a last minute arrangement of his suite in order to make it sound more powerful and spectacular.
7 - Philippe Rombi: those of you who know his music will understand when I say it was such a great and moving experience being there to listen themes like “Un homme et son chien” (with Rombi himself at the piano), “Angel” and Fraternity Hymn from “Joyeux Nöel” (both conducted by Rombi himself).
8 – Christopher Young: what a better way to end the concert than with a Hellraiser – Hellraiser 2 suite. Well , there´s a better way actually, when Young stands up wearing a Hellraiser´s Pinhead mask. Funny thing is that I knew that little joke as I had been having a drink with Chris Young a couple of hours before the concert!

The people: a pleasure to have been with Anthony (such a great guy!) and his nice family this days (his father has got that british sense of humour I like; we had nice conversations with him, specially the day of the cd signing event, when Anthony was to busy having ALL his Giacchino covers signed ). Oh, and I so love Anthony´s “24” bag! Want!
Besides, the rest of the Úbeda family was there. Nice people, sharing long conversations while having some drinks and having lots of laughs (some people even making advances to attendants!) in a warm and pleasant environment.

The Spirit of Úbeda: very related to the previous point, but specially focused on the composers and guests. I mean, where else can you share a lunch, a dinner or some beers with the likes of Giacchino, Rombi, Young (I saw him drinking a mojito in less than 5 minutes!), Baños and the rest of the attendants and composers? There was a moment on Friday night when we were at that pub, and one moment we were talking to Doyle and Baños, the next one we were talking to Young and Rombi. Then another attendant joins the conversation, and so on. Always with a drink in our hands of course.

We were having dinner Saturday night (before the concert), Chris Young and his daughter showed up and Chris sits with us (with a cup of wine) and we had such a pleasant personal, private chat. Magic moment. There is where we found out the mask joke he had prepared for the concert!

On Sunday night, where the environment is even more relaxed (after the concert, conferences, signing event and the rest of the activities are over) we had a last dinner with the composers, organisers and attendants in the back courtyard of the Hospital de Santiago. It was time for balance, goodbyes, hugs, last minute photos and last talks with guests and attendants. And finally, we had a last drink at the pub. There is where I met Patrick Doyle´s son, such a nice and polite guy. We were talking about his week in Spain and he was delighted for the warm environment and how well had he been treated.

I could go on and on telling “we met this composer here”, “this composer there” but it would be too long. The Spirit of Úbeda is stronger than ever.

Great write up Marcel, it really made me feel I'd missed something great.

I wanna hear more.

Thanks! Hope you can come next year. You´d love it!

Did Chris Young have the absinthe eventually??

Ditto!



I had absinthe a few times. I tends to get me quite riled up (and absolutely gobsmackingly drunk)

Marcel: .... PWNED!

Me too!

I had some lethal Portugese stuff once too......jeezus wept!!!

I'm pretty sure Marcel had the whole place wired and was enjoying the rehearsals from his hotel room on six monitors and in sensurround sound (DVDs of which he'll sell at 300 euros a pop)

Big name = Big money

well, I never thought Patrick Doyle could be like that
I saw him once live, looked like a real fine gentleman

but now