Las ruinas circulares, composed by Francisco Coll, will serve as the compulsory piece for the 139th edition of the Certamen Internacional de Bandas Ciudad de València, scheduled for 14 to 18 July 2027. Coll explained that the title is derived from the short story of the same name by Jorge Luis Borges, although the composition does not aim to narrate or follow the story's plot. Instead, it seeks to capture the atmosphere, circularity, memory, identity, and the relationship between the creator and the created work.
Coll stated, “After many years of writing orchestral works and operas, I felt it was time to compose a piece for symphonic band, and the band appears here as an organism with its own identity.” The composition begins with a fanfare and features solemn chorales, chants, and dances built upon repetitive, ancestral rhythms that also draw from contemporary urban music.
Born in València in 1985, Francisco Coll studied at the Conservatories of València and Madrid, as well as at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where he received both the Honour Prize for his final degree and the Honour Prize for his Master's degree. He also studied composition with Thomas Adès. Coll's music has been performed by some of the world's leading orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ensemble InterContemporain, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and the London Sinfonietta.
The 139th Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Música Ciudad de València will take place at the Palau de la Música from 14 to 18 July 2027, bringing together ensembles across five sections to promote musical activity and engage the public. Groups can apply for participation from 19 to 26 October this year. The competition will feature up to five bands in the honour section, five in the first section, six in the second, six in the third, and five in the free section, with each group allowed to register in only one section.
New this year is the introduction of an award for the musical society that wins the honour mention three times within a decade, as well as a requirement for a responsible declaration or similar document to ensure that bands, particularly foreign ones, compete with their usual line-up.
The 2026 edition yielded an impressive international roster, with the Sociedad Musical Instructiva Santa Cecília de Cullera winning the first prize and honour mention in the honour section with 352 points. The first section was won by the Banda Sinfónica Associação Recreativa e Musical Amigos da Branca from Portugal, the second by the Sociedad Musical Santa Cecília de Chelva, the third by the Orchestra Fiati Maria SS di Custonaci from Italy, and the free section by the Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra.
The participation of Valencian and international groups highlights the event's external projection, which keeps the band tradition alive while opening the Palau de la Música to diverse interpretations of this repertoire.
