Winter Time
[ en Español aquí ]
From the News Mirlo Studio, Manuel Gimferrer tells you about his path as a classical musician, Georgina Mauriñobrings you her independent and open look to the future with her reflections and books, and Mirlo himself proposes new tools to navigate the digital world where a new economy is making its way.
Manuel in February
In the last few weeks my work in the Orquesta Filarmonía de Madrid team has intensified. After Beethoven’s Ninth and a memorable Tchaïkovsky Violin Concerto, we are now preparing Mozart’s Requiem.
Later on, Karl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Malher’s Symphony of a Thousand await us.
After that will come the Broadway in Concert where I will contribute as an arranger, something that has me involved for a few weeks in a music that I love. I will tell you more about other composition projects later on.
For the moment I say goodbye, and I can not fail to comment that such was the success of this year’s Antología de la Zarzuela (with tickets sold out more than a week before the performance), that maestro Pascual Osa decided to do a new performance as a colophon to the season.
Therefore, with the great satisfaction of having the great family of Filarmonías, I leave you a link to the programming page.
Next month I will tell you how the rehearsals are going in the Municipal Choir of Velilla de San Antonio, with which we are preparing the concerts for the dates of Easter.
Georgina and The 4th Rurning
As I told you in the previous newsletter
I see 2026 as a crucial year to prepare us, not only for the inevitable crisis/general change we are already entering, but for the coming rebirth.
Winter is a time to stop running, to reflect, to leave behind everything that is useless and to look inside to gather strength. This is something we can all do, but we can also share it and lay the foundations for a better future. I read that “Winter is not a dead time in the field, but a strategic stage to recover soil fertility and prepare the next campaign.”
To better understand the historical moment we are living there is a book that has been revealing for me: The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. The book focuses on American history for almost all of its examples, but the thesis is valid globally, I believe, and in any case it is very convincing for understanding the current crisis in the West. I recommend reading the book, but I leave here a very brief summary that I found to be essentially accurate.
I know that this newsletter is received by friends of all ages, and that is why I find it very interesting that everyone is looking for their role for this season.
Older people ( boomers) can pass on their values: it is time to defend some of their achievements, even if they have to put aside the natural fear of change. Those in middle age (generation X) can probably bring their more practical and decisive spirit to the younger ones, given their experience. Young adults (millennial generation), who are in the best position to lead this moment, can bring their best adaptation to the new media without losing sight of the good of their children. On the other hand, it is up to the youngest (generation Z) to protest and demand authenticity and realism in the face of a system that is crumbling without them, who are the real future.
Together, we must seek new horizons to better organize ourselves, understanding that there are systemic failures that come from past mistakes that must not be repeated. That is why, although the interests of each generation often seem disconnected, if we look closely they can be complementary.
The confrontation between generations is something I have been observing for some time, as well as the abandonment of the family and its values, while the digital world takes on an isolating prominence, sometimes even within families. As I write this, I remember the conversation I had a few years ago with Uncle Max about “Feeling Alone and Being Alone”. We published it in our Blog at the time, and I have recovered it to bring it here, because I think it is still relevant today....
In the last few weeks I am embarking on a new project and I am looking for the best balance between the facilities and the dependencies of the digital tools I plan to use . I hear about “Digital Minimalism”, what is that? is it what I want?... I am still looking for my answers. I will tell you about it in the next News.
Thank you for reflecting with me. I’ll leave you with Mirlo now.
Mirlo 💡
I fly over the studio and see that Georgina needs guidance...
To regain a balanced use of digital tools it is essential to turn off their addictive use. Personally I think the digital minimalism that Georgina is discovering is an interesting initiative as a response to manipulative surveillance, as is turning on new communications.
I leave you with my Blueprint for defending your private space on the Internet, and I do so from my new nest at PARAGRAPH.xyz, who distinguish themselves because their open source protocol and transparent practices allow creators, developers and moderators to build collaborative communities that you control, outside of the gatekeepers of social networks.
I’m also flying over new social spaces in the new Internet like Primal on Nostr. By now, and I hope I’ve explained myself and you know that in Mirlo Studio preserving privacy doesn’t mean isolation, but respect for each other’s space. Genuine artists surely understand this well.
Finally, ad with the same spirit, I will be sharing soon our BLUEPRINT for the use of AI tools that respect your rights in the upcoming Internet era. If you are an independent artist, follow us and spread the word.
See you soon!
 | A guest post by
|