Instrumentation: Soprano, Tenor, Narrator and ensemble (fl. alto sax. tpt. trb. perc. vc. cb.)
Year of Composition: 10.2022 - 01.2023
Dedication: for Künstlerhaus Boswil who made this creation possible
Duration: 10 min. ca.
Notes: This piece was written over the period of six months for a residency in Switzerland. I had been working on the texts of Abelard and it was clear to me that this ‘operatic’ scene would include his life story, which is known by many. I’ve also added a narrator, giving context to the fragmented speech of the two characters with the Duino Elegies of Rilke. I’ve picked an instrumentation that is rather unusual, however I’ve used this to create different acoustic spaces that the singers can be very lyrical in. The piece is structured around the Narrator parts and determined by the text, the first part is a game of seduction between the characters, their lines always integrated, then Abelard cuts the words of Heloise and finally they move towards such catastrophe that they can only hiss and stammer to each other. Their sounds are orchestrated by the ensemble.
The work aims at creating a narrative not to give a definitive version but to question this glorified story, as it is the only way we can reach something purer.
Score