My friend Ties Mellema approaches me after the 2015 summer asking me if I would be interested in writing for his concerts in april 2016 with the Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij.
An exciting thought: I had not composed a lot for choir whereas it is one of my most beloved ensembles and the combination with a solo wind instrument is challenging.
I choose the ‘Rimas’ by Gustavo Bécquer (1836 – 1870) as text: rich poetry full of images from the Spanish (post-) Romanticism, by an andalusian poet who wrote this tresor full of ‘rhymes’ in his short and tragical life, one of the highlights of Spanish literature. Other composers like Albeniz, Turina and Mompou set some of these rhymes to music before me. But this is the first setting for choir that I know of.
I choose five for me very precious Rimas, all of them not too long (in concert order):
53 (No) Volverán – they will (not) return -, maybe the most beautiful and well-known of all, speaking three times of great melancholy https://youtu.be/aTgjsxTfRB0
9 El Sauce – the willow – on among other things a willow next to the river; I was born and raised next to a river and again living in the dutch ‘River Country’ https://youtu.be/GgZGWPMV3Pg
86 La Pureza, – the pureness – on the fragility of pure beauty https://youtu.be/RKhgq_8bD0A
96 El Candíl – the candle – on the search for a heavenly light https://youtu.be/JaLRmwgRQYo
93 A Elisa – to Elisa – a burning love poem and an artistic credo https://youtu.be/RiKhJ-Jc3r0
In the choral parts solo passages are included for a solo soprano, alto, tenor and baritone voice.
Ties Mellema, Fokko Oldenhuis & Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij
Ties Mellema, Utrechtse Studenten Cantorij, conductor Fokko Oldenhuis, 31st of March 2016, Utrecht Vredenburg Hertz Hall, the Netherlands
- soprano saxophone
- choir SATB
- solo soprano, alto, tenor and baritone (from within choir)
- Rima LIII (Volverán)
- Rima IX (El Sauce)
- Rima LXXXVI (La Pureza)
- Rima XCVI (El Candil)
- Rima XCIII (A Elisa)
