The Élégies romanes is a collection of five pieces in each of the five Romance languages, in which the passage of death is clearly evoked. The last text, Aparicion del pajaro, evokes the transformation of the body, without it being clear what form of survival is involved: a drop of water, a grass, a bird? Five movements, five approaches to choral sound, from the chromatic clusters of Caminho to the impressionism of the semi-improvised reservoirs at the end of the cycle…
Recording, extracts: CD ‘Sur la terre simple’, Label Inconnu LI 09-0301, distribution Codæx, 2009. Mikrokosmos soloists, conducted by Loïc Pierre.
Difficulty rating: very difficult
Sophia de Mello Breyner, Yves Bonnefoy, Lucian Blaga, Daniela Attanasio, Jose Angel Valente
Portuguese, French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish
Texts collected and set to booklet by the composer.
Mixed a cappella choir (more of a chamber choir)
16 mins approx. for the whole cycle
Cycle in 5 parts: 1. Caminho, 2. Sur la terre simple, 3. Îngenunchiez în vînt, 4. Verso la nudita, 5. Aparicion del pajaro