On February 13, 2026, Sub Rosa Records released Gendarme de la Libertad, a digital album featuring music composed by David Toub with performances by pianist Stephane Ginsburgh. This is an hour of piano music, solidly in the minimalist tradition that, according to the liner notes: “… reflects today’s anxieties and uncertainty.” Gendarme is music with a strong moral viewpoint. If the task of contemporary music is to reflect the critical issues of our time, then Gendarme de la Libertad accomplishes that.

There are two tracks on the album of 30 minutes each. The first incorporates spoken words from a 1964 speech by Dr. Ernesto (Che) Guevara before the United Nations. The second track was written for open instrumentation but is performed here on piano. Both pieces reflect the driving intensity of classic minimalism yet also remind us that nuance can be present in musical patterns.

The title track of the album is Gendarme de la Libertad for Speaker and Piano. This was composed in 2020, the same year as the murder of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. David Toub has reached back to the 1964 words of Che Guevara as the social commentary to accompany his music. Gendarme is a solo piano piece and the performer speaks, not sings, the text by Guevara. The original speech was, of course, delivered in Spanish; for this album, both the original Spanish and English translations are used. The liner notes state that “The words are applicable beyond their original intent and historical setting; they should be spoken plainly.” Indeed.

The spoken words are connected to the music, yet they seem to flow independently above it. The piece begins with several fragments of spoken phrases that build with repetition into a single complete sentence. This invites the listener to collect the phrases and parse their meaning while anticipating the finished statement. This added mental processing adds to the weight of the words and amplifies their meaning.

The piano parts of Gendarme de la Libertad open with a series of slowly repeated four-note arpeggios that start deep in the lower register and rise upward, creating an indefinite, uncertain feeling. Soon more notes are added and the rhythms shift slightly, becoming less regular. After a minute or so there is a brief pause, one of several that are sprinkled through this piece. The tempo then increases and the phrasing becomes more active and purposeful. The pianist speaks: “Those who demand their legitimate rights… as free men…” This is repeated and now “…are the guardians of freedom.” is added. This continues with various spoken parts of the text that are repeated for emphasis. The piano accompaniment is always moving, and this supports a growing sense of importance.

At 5:35 another a simple arpeggio of single notes is heard and these morph again into set of repeated moving lines. The spoken text is now heard in Spanish, with parts repeated for emphasis. The rapid delivery of the words in Spanish heighten the urgency of the message. Some dissonance now seeps into the harmony, building tension. The repetition of the musical phrases is varied slightly, keeping the listener engaged.

By 13:00 the music has turned solemn and the spoken Spanish has finally delivered the text in it’s entirety: “Those who kill their own children and discriminate a\daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men – how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?”

As the second half of the piece continues, a series of somber notes ring out like a mournful church bell. Parts of the text are in repeated again in both Spanish and in English. The piano accompaniment proceeds in a series of quiet solemn tones. This pensive feeling contrasts very effectively with more animated first half. The last five minutes returns to powerful chords in the bass with a single dominant note in the higher register. There is a fateful feeling in this. Now the tempo increases and the notes above become discordant, renewing the sense of tension. English text spoken “ they demand their legitimate rights as free men”. The piece ends suddenly, but leaves a heavy sense of responsibility in the air. Gendarme de la Libertad reminds us that the struggle for human rights is long and costly, and that we ourselves must bend its arc towards justice.

The second track of the album is Duophony for Open Instrumentation, also from 2020. This was originally written for open instrumentation but is performed here by Stephane Ginsburgh on piano. Duophony is a resolute minimalism consisting of repeating cells of 16th notes in unison in two staves. There is a driving tempo but no counterpoint. Intriguing changes in the harmony can be detected with careful listening. There is a pounding urgency to the repeating rhythms and the forceful dynamics amplify a sense of power. The higher notes weave in and around the chords in the deep lower registers and this engages the listener. Always repeating, the density of the lower chords thicken and thin beguilingly. The robust playing of Stephane Ginsburgh and the elegant sound of the Bӧsendorfer provide a strong foundation for this piece.

At 10:15 the tempo slows slightly and a single repeating upper note now dominates the texture. The notes continue repeating in unison, but with less urgency and a more reflective feeling. The dominating high note pounds like a hammer. As the repetition continues, slight changes in the pitch of the upper notes is heard. This sustains interest and simultaneously builds tension. The bass line also changes and evolves into a repeating melody line.

As the piece proceeds, the tempo slowly decreases, adding a bit of drama. The bass lines growl along as before and the highest notes are often replaced by pitches in the middle registers. This evolves into a more settled feeling, and towards the finish it feels as if the energy in the music has been slowly drained away. Duophony ends as it was heard, in strict unison. For all the structural stasis of the piece, one is left with the impression of having heard a fair amount of variety. Toub has crafted solid listener interest from his spare minimalist materials, sustained by the muscular playing of Stephane Ginsburgh.

If Gendarme de la Libertad brings a message of hope for the future using the words and musical forms of the immediate past, then it points to the poverty of our commitment to justice in the present. Toub and Ginsburgh have rendered an eloquent artistic statement that guides us forward.

Gendarme de la Libertad is available from Sub Rosa by digital download.