“. . . alone in my room, I am the last of a lost civilization, and I vanish into the dark . . .” ‐ John Darnielle

“The series of energy transformations in the hierarchies formed by self‐organization are cascades of successive energy fractions, which explains why Mandelbrot’s fractals often describe nature.” ‐ Howard T. Odum

“. . . Ihr sanget nur von meiner Leiben; nun spricht sie meiner Treue Hohn. Ihr wart ins Wasser eingeschrieben, so fliesst den auch mit ihm davon.” ‐ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“. . . In pieces unfamiliar, it shatters all the world, crashing down moments . . .” ‐ Warren Defever

“Accustomed to traveling along underground veins, they found it easy to enter the new aquatic realm, to burst from multiple fountains, to find new mirrors, new games, new ways of enjoying the water.” ‐ Italo Calvino

“I couldn’t seem to speak, cut . . . bleeding . . . and sad. When you dream of things you don’t understand, you can’t live here . . .” ‐ Warren Defever

“In the connectedness with other processes within an overall evolution, there is a meaning which is the meaning of life. We are not the helpless subjects of evolution. We are evolution.” ‐ Erich Jantsch

“Held under these smothering waves by your strong and thick‐veined hand . . . one of these days I’m going to wriggle up on dry land.” ‐ John Darnielle

“Flow away, well‐loved songs, off to the sea of forgetfulness. No boy will delightedly sing you again, nor any girl in the time of blossoms.” ‐ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ( English approximation )

“. . . In any case, now they seem content, these maidens: in the morning you hear them singing.” ‐ Italo Calvino

Piano Trio, for violoncello, contrabass, and piano

world première by Divertimento Ensemble, dir. Sandro Gorli

leaves hook I cas.cade snowstorm leaves (2022)

Two artists (excerpt) 2023

From a condensation, the material unfolds dense and slowly, and with defined trajectories. When they intersect, as a consequence of this interaction, they fracture, evoking reminiscences as vague echoes and projecting into the future with intense anticipations. 

The translation of "litmus effect" in Spanish, "efecto tornasol", refers to the multicolored iridescence that flashes as a result of the exposure of defined materials to light, or when viewed from different angles. At the same time, the "litmus effect" implies showing the level of acidity of a material (so to say, the ability to reveal the true nature of something). Both meanings refer, respectively, to both the composition itself and the compositional approach.

The material of this work comes from a solo viola work composed during the pandemic, that recently spoke to me again.

Litmus (2023) · for electronics and spatialized sound in 32 channels

Graveyard Dirt was premiered on the campus of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig on 22nd June 2023, by Mauricio Galeano, electric guitar, Ana Campos, viola, and Susanne Stock, accordion, of Ensemble Contemporary Insights. 

Below are notes on the piece, compiled by the composer. 

FOREWORD:

"Graveyard dirt must be got off the coffin of the dead person, on the waste of the moon at midnight . . .

"To Conjure a well, throw into the well graveyard dirt, an old pipe of a Conjure Doctor, or some devil’s snuff . . .

"Conjure as graveyard dirt is taken from a grave one day after burial . . .

"One can be Conjured by shaking hands with any one, if he has rubbed his hands with graveyard dirt . . .

"To sprinkle graveyard dirt about the yard, about a house, makes one sleepy, sluggish, naturally waste away and perish until he dies . . ."
‐ Roland Steiner ( from various informants )

Program notes from premiere concert: 

Graveyard Dirt besteht aus sieben Miniaturen. Ihre Titel und Beschreibungen sind:		

I: The Play of Thorns ( ii )
,,Wenn die Körper, die in diesen Falten eingeschlossen sind, nur von einem anderen Ort, einer anderen Art wären. Wenn nur die Dornen jetzt nicht wären.’’  - Trevor Bača ( Übersetzung Deutsch )

II: 蜕肤 蜕: Häutung, slough. 肤: Haut.

III: Ghosts push up through the soil, pale mushrooms Das Werden von begrabenen Körpern und Erde. Das Werden von Nahrung und Energie.

IV: sin pájaros, sin nubes, sin color
,,Endlich finde ich in meiner verwirrten Seele,  Wie von der dunklen Flamme der Zypressen verdunkelt wird, Die Gewissheit, dass ich nicht ganz sein kann . . .’’  - Samuel Beckett ( Übersetzung Deutsch )

V: THERE ARE NO DRY BONES HERE
Hier gibt es keine trockenen Knochen.

VI: Megtanultam gyűlölni a testemet és mindazt, amit ebben a világban megkövetel.
Mein Fleisch wird zu Erde, meine Erde zu Magie, meine Magie zu Flüchen, und die Flüche werden zu neuem Fleisch.

VII: The Play of Thorns ( iii ) / WIEDER
Forward oder Back. Wähle.

Graveyard Dirt, for electric guitar, viola, and accordion

Commission: Südwestrundfunk for the Donaueschingen Musiktage 2022

Live recording of the world première, Musica Nova Helsinki, 3 March 2023.

Performers:
Mattie Barbier, trombone
Weston Olencki, trombone
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Janne Nisonen, conductor

Photo: Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

where the dark earth bends (2022, rev. 2023), for RAGE Thormbones, orchestra, and electronics

· From Concepción, Chile.
· https://agustincastellonmolina.com/
· agustin.castellon.molina@gmail.com

· Bari, Italy / Leipzig, Germany

Agustín Castellón Molina is a Chilean composer who lives and works in Leipzig, Germany. He studied piano in Concepción and Pedagogy in Music Education at the “Universidad de Concepción”, Chile, graduating in 2016 with highest honors. Immediately afterwards, he began his studies in Composition at the Conservatory of Music “Niccolò Piccinni” in Bari, Italy, with Luca Belcastro, graduating of Bachelor (2020) and Master (2022) degree in Composition in with highest marks, summa cum laude and honorable mention; currently undertaking Meisterklasse studies (postgraduate) with Prof. Dr. Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig, Germany.

He has received commissions from the ensemble Multilatèrale and ARCO - Art, Research and Creation Opus 2024 and has been programmed in festivals such as Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik 2024, Festival Ensemble(s) 2024, .abeceda Contemporary Music Festival 2025, ZfGM Festival 2021 – 24, Rondò 2020 / 22, Como Contemporary Festival 2021, Intrecci 2018, and PRISMAS 2015 – 16, his compositions have been broadcast by WDR 3 – Radio, Rai5, Rai Radio 3, Radio CEMAT, awarded prizes in international competitions, including “Impronta Ensemble 3rd Composition Competition 2023”, “New Music Generation” Composition Competition Kazakhstan 2023, “International Competition 2 Agosto 2022”, “Don Sante Montanaro Prize 2022”, “5th International Composition Competition Appassionato Ensemble 2021” (… ) and have been performed throughout Europe and Latinoamerica. 

His musical creation is based on the effort to integrate a myriad of the creative possibilities at his disposal, which is why he works in his creative process closely with domains of poetry, psychology and the visual arts. For him, musical performance and character is equally vital as composition itself, wherein the physical relationship with the instrument is of utmost importance, brought about as a consequence of a reflective musical interpretation of his music and understanding of the character.

Among the ensembles with which he has collaborated in masterclasses, festivals or competitions are the IEMA – Ensemble, Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Klangforum Wien Ensemble, Appassionato Ensemble, Ensemble Multilatèrale, vocal ensemble les Métaboles, Divertimento Ensemble, Dissolution Ensemble, ensemble (con)temporary (in)sights, among others. His music has been interpreted by renowned performers such as Léo Warynski, Claudia Chan, Matteo Cesari, Pasquale Corrado, Alain Billard, Laura Muller or Sandro Gorli.

He has been an organizational part of the International Cultural Platform “Germina.Cciones … – Primaveras Latinoamericanas”, created by Luca Belcastro, with whom he has collaborated, coordinating Workshops in Concepción, Chile, in 2015 and 2016.

From 2024 his scores are published by Impronta – Edition UG.

Litmus (2023) · for electronics and spatialized sound in 32 channels

Agustín Castellón Molina

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