History: How Pompeii was born
Javier Fra (Photograph by Carmen García Nieto)
"When I was very young, my parents took me to see a film that shocked me, The Last Days of Pompeii, of which I only have vague memories. The catastrophe I saw on the screen seemed terrible and unheard of at that time and left a deep impression on my childhood psyche.
Many years later, after having composed and recorded with my brother our first conceptual work 2001 enigma in space, the idea of composing a work about Pompeii emerged in me. With the memory of that film in my mind, I read Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Last Days of Pompeii, which, despite its age (1834), fascinated me. Based on it, I wrote the script and from it I composed the music, between 1998 and 2001. I recorded a homemade demo that I simply named Pompeya, which was forgotten for many years.
Due to my brother Juan's initiative, we both decided to retake the work and remake it again from the original demo. It was a complicated but exciting task that after several years of dedication, work and illusion it was brought to life in this work published by the label Gober Records.
My brother's work was essential to give coherence to the work through the arrangements, orchestration, recording and mixing done with exquisite care, as well as in the graphic design of the CD edition that, as in all the albums I have published so far, he has done a magnificent job.
I would also like to highlight the excellent mastering work of Mario Gosálvez who, with his great professionalism, neatness and infinite patience, listened to all our suggestions and knew how to capture our ideas, portaying them in a recording full of nuances and brilliance."
