Description
Duration: 6′
Poetry by the composer in her native Catalan language.
Songs written originally for soprano Rachel Rosales.
Arranged for and premiered by Catalonian mezzo soprano Anna Alàs at COMRadio.com (Spanish radio).
Duration: 6′
Village Scenes was inspired by memories of my childhood in the early 60s. For 4-5 summers, I vacationed in Ullastrell with my parents at my maternal grandparents’ home. At the time, Ullastrell was a very small village near Terrassa (Barcelona). These three poems were written in early October of 2002, after returning from a trip to Spain. The poetry is in my native Catalan language.
I. El Portal: Here I evoke the vivid image I have of me peeling corn husks at the huge and old door of a Catalan “masia” (Catalonian stone-made house) with other village children. I still remember the darkness and the damped cold temperature inside the house – with few windows and without lighting. I remember the contrasting feelings of the coldness inside the house and the outside warmth of the sun.
II. El Poble: Ullastrell was surrounded by fields and small hills with Mediterranean vegetation. During the summer it was so hot that everything was tinged with a golden color – a mix of dried vegetation and sunlight. My memories of Ullastrell are warm and happy like the sun that always baked the village.
III. La Pluja is inspired by the late summer storms. After the rain, the whole atmosphere smelled like fresh wet soil. The whole village was happy, the farmers and the animals, everybody was eager to cool off. The vegetation also breathed easier dressed in a new green coat! The summer storms were always abrupt and very dramatic, but lasted little time and the sun was soon ready to come back to bake the earth.
© 2002 Published by Hidden Oaks Music Company.
