Romance sonámbulo
John Plant
About this work:
Romance sonámbulo, the finest of Lorca's Gypsy Ballads, has haunted me since adolescence. The narrative hinted at in its surrealistic imagery is that of a smuggler, pursued by the Civil Guard, trying to reach the house of the girl who is waiting for him. He meets the father, who is in a state of despair; the two of them ascend to the roof terrace, where they find the girl floating in the cistern, perhaps a suicide.
I wanted to give this work an almost operatic dimension, while still maintaining the simplicity and lyrical impetuousness of the ballad form. In the conversations between the two men, I aimed to give each his own identity and character. The music associated with the word green, symbol of ardent desire, recurs throughout the work; in its varied guises, I tried to convey the tragic and hallucinatory intensity of the action. This theme closes the work in the form of unfurling waves of sound, overwhelming the souls of the two men devastated by the death of the gypsy girl.
Version: orchestral version
Year composed: 1999
Duration: 00:18:00
Ensemble type: Orchestra:Orchestra with Soloist(s)
Instrumentation: 2 Flute, 2 Oboe, 2 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 2 Horn in F, 2 Trumpet, 1 Timpani, 1 Percussion (General), 1 Strings (General), ,1 Medium Voice soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: Percussion: Bass drum, crotales, two gongs, tam-tam, susp. cymbal, tubular bells, wood block, temple blocks (5)