Alejandro Viñao - Hildegard's Dream (1994)

The first 3 pieces in this CD form a trilogy for soprano and computer which explores the relationship between melody and timbre in 3 different contexts. Both "Chant d’Ailleurs" [Chant from Elsewhere] and "Borges y el Espejo" [Borges and the Mirror] are concerned with melodic processes based on non European singing models, seeking to extend the syntax of these models beyond their Oriental origin. ‘Chant d’Ailleurs’ takes as a model the chanting tradition of Mongolia and ‘Borges y el Espejo’ that of the classical Arabic singing. ‘Hildegard’s Dream’ functions as a connecting point between these Eastern traditions and the more recent melodic tradition of Europe. The piece, as the title suggests, draws its melodic material from the monophonic singing of the Middle Ages. In those early days, the European melodic syntax was not as different from its Eastern counterpart - as it was to become after the Renaissance - enjoying a rhythmic freedom which had not yet been subjected to the constraints of a rigid meter. This composition marks the beginning of my exploration of melody and timbre which culminated, some 10 years later, in the 3 pieces forming the trilogy. All four works were influenced by the writings of Jorge Luis Borges and his labyrinthine view of the world. His influence was imprecise and diffused and yet I experienced it as something very real. If I try to define it in my own words it is the words of Borges that come to my mind: “luckily we don’t owe ourselves to one tradition. We can aspire to all of them”. Alejandro Viñao

1-3. Chant d'Ailleurs (1992, for soprano and computer)
4-5. Hildegard's Dream (1994, for soprano and computer)
6-7. Borges y el Espejo (1992, for soprano and computer)
8-9. Go (1981, tape composition)

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