Zaira Soria - Venus rey jr: quattro elementi, bachiana mexicana no. 3, suite sonora (2023)

This work, after a text by Italian pianist and poet Greta Cipriani, was written during the Winter 2021-2022. It has four movements: I Acqua (Water), II Aria (Air), III Fuoco (Fire) and IV Terra (Earth). These poems by Cipriani, written and sung in Italian, are about the force of the primogenial elements and the unfathomable mysteries of Nature. The composer’s sound palette has a clear and straightforward language. The tempo indications in the score are an invitation for the musicians to treat each movement as elements. The first one, Acqua, has the indication “Ágil, pero sin prisa” (Agile, but with no rush), and with this the composer tries to emulate the flow of water. The second movement, Aria, the indication is “Fluido, como ráfaga de viento” (Free-flowing, like a wind gust). Fuoco is the briefest of all movements and it is written in a style reminiscent of the Italian operatic art. The Finale, Terra, is the longest movement. It is a song for the Earth, as the giver of life. From the technical point of view, Terra is the most demanding of these Elements for the soprano. The movement ends almost in silence, with the music in the threshold of audition, like if an imaginary voyager was moving away from the Earth, and the planet was disappearing in the distance.