THULE
Scenic Action for Saxopohone Quartet and Piano as Resonator
ISMN : 979-0-2325-2207-4
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My piece “THULE. Libro de las Profecías” (THULE. Book of Prophecies) is one of a series of music theatre works (after “Mnemea” or “Nefas, Nykteris”) and refers directly to the series of texts collected by Cristopher Colombus before and after his first journey to America in 1492.
He thought he was predestined to discover a “new world”, especially after the study of selected texts such as the prophecy written by Seneca in his “Medea”, with which Colombus felt identified:
In later years a time will come when Oceanus shall relax his bars and a vast territory shall appear,
and Tiphys shall discover new worlds, and Thule shall be no longer
the remotest spot on earth.
The idea of journey and prophecy, therefore, are very present in the piece: for me as composer since I was surer of the steps than of the goal to reach while composing: I was sailing in darkness while writing; and for the performers since there is, literally, a journey throughout the piece that they have to complete and that shall make them feel exhausted after sixteen or eighteen minutes of sections played by heart, movements in darkness, very fine and delicate sounds in the boundary of the audibility, etc.
The resonance of the piano, used also in other pieces such as the series Estado Interior, represents as in “Medea” the uncertain and prophetic character and the opportunity of opening a new space, an unexplored world. In my experience while writing “THULE”, this magical inertia has led me to compose one of my most personal and beloved pieces so far.
Pages - 23
Jose-Luis Campana
Michael Edgerton
Christian Dachez
