Music archive entry |
|
Composer: Alan Taylor Title: I did not come to weep here where they fell, but to see you, to greet those who live. From "Los Muertos de la Plaza, January 28th 1948, Santiago", by Pablo Neruda Instrumentation:Double bass or cello soloist, with fl, vln, cl Duration: 7 minutes Difficulty: Harder Technical Issues: The solo bass or cello part is quite demanding, while the other three instruments plau largely in rhythmic unison, with the degree of dissonance rising towards the climax of the piece. Programme note: The piece was written at the time a a series of massacres in Palestinian towns. Whatever view one takes, the capacity of people to lose their basic humanity in extreme circumstances is a recurrent theme of our time, whether it be in ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, flying civilian airliners into office blocks, or using women and children as human shields to protect tanks as they advance. What more can one do than seek to greet and comfort those who survive. Neruda's poem was written after one of the massacres of workers, seeking better conditions, which have been a recurrent theme of Chilean history. Availability:from Alan Taylor |
Return to Alan Taylor's catalogue More on London Chamber Group Forum London Composers' Group 18th October 2002 |