BODAS DE SANGRE for Symphonic Band by LEÓN DURÁN (Spain, 2002)

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Premiered by Ateneo Musical de Cullera conducted by Ferrer Ferran

on 15 July 2022 in Cullera, Spain

“Bodas de Sangre” by Spanish composer León Pedro Durán Viso is our Composition of the Week.

Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding) is inspired by the powerful tragedy written in 1932 by Federico García Lorca, one of Spain’s most celebrated poets and playwrights.

"Blood Wedding" is the first in Lorca’s famous "Rural Trilogy" (followed by Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba) and remains a cornerstone of Spanish literature and world theatre.

León Durán adopts a romantic style to compose a symphonic poem that explores themes of passion, fate, and societal expectations, echoing the rural Andalusian life that inspired García Lorca's masterpiece.

The piece was premiered on July 7, 2023, but the Banda Sinfónica del Ateneo Musical de Cullera, Valencia, Spain, with Ferrer Ferran conducting.

“Bodas de Sangre was awarded First Prize, Honorable Mention, and the Medal of Honor for the highest score at the “1st Emili Giménez Bou International Composition Competition”, held in Cullera, Spain, in 2022. Since then, it has been performed by leading municipal bands in Bilbao, Madrid, and Valencia, as well as the Galician Symphonic Band and the Symphonic Band of Córdoba (Argentina).

The work is scored for a large, symphonic wind band instrumentation used currently in the Spanish tradition, which means the addition of flugelhorns, cellos, and double basses, as well as harp, and 5 percussion parts. It has a duration of 18 minutes. The music is available at Piles.

León Durán (b. 2002, A Coruña, Spain) is a composer and horn player whose work has been recognized nationally and internationally. He completed his professional horn studies in his hometown with highest honors and earned his degree in composition from the” Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel Massotti Littel” in Murcia, where he received the Extraordinary Prize in Music for the 2023/2024 academic year. His principal teachers included Francisco Javier Pérez Albaladejo (composition), Álvaro López Sánchez (orchestration), and Joaquín Martínez-Oña (harmony).

Durán has studied with noted composers such as Óscar Navarro, Teresa Catalán, and Eduardo Nogueroles. He premiered his first band work at the age of thirteen at the Palacio de la Ópera in A Coruña and has since collaborated with numerous ensembles across Spain. His works have been awarded in several composition competitions, including the XIII and XVI Galician Composition Contests.

In 2024, he premiered his cantata Oda a la Música—based on a poem by Gerardo Diego—in Cieza, and in 2025 won the Loyola University Grand Prize for his orchestral work Obertura Romántica.

Other works for winds by León Durán include:

• Mariñan (2018)

• Aires galegos (2018)

• Ofrenda a Rosalía (2022)

• Cuatro fábulas clásicas (2023)

• Obertura romántica (2023)

• Ao Xeito de foliada (2023)

• Oda a la música (2024)