HEARD by Anna Semple and Gareth Mattey

Performed by the Corvus Consort: Danni O'Neill, Steph Franklin, Daniel Gethin, Jack Granby, Simon Grant and Thomas Lowen, conducted by Freddie Crowley.

The story of a community living in a fog of confusion, lies and judgement.

Recorded live at Heath Street Baptist Church, 4th July 2021, generously supported by Arts Council England

HEARD

Pelagic Dreamscape (2023) - WDR Sinfonieorchester

Performed by Cikada ensemble and conducted by Christian Eggen.
Oslo, June 2023.

Tonada is a folk music that originated in Spain and later every country in South America developed its own style. In Chile, it’s usually characterised by slow-moving melodies, in an almost meditative state.

In this work, I wanted to recreate the essence of the rural landscape, which is where this music comes from. The countryside holds a deep personal connection for me as I spent most of my childhood summers visiting my grandmother there. These experiences left vivid and resonant sounding memories in my mind: the noise of a rattling roof, the wind from afar, Tonada music being played in the house next door.

The drama of this composition draws inspiration from the poetry of the renowned Chilean poet, Jorge Teillier. Teillier was known for his nostalgic expressions, lamenting how the world of the countryside, that old world, the one that the generation of my grandparents was the last one to truly and fully live -and which I felt lucky to have caught a glimpse of it during my childhood- how that lifestyle was gradually threatened, fading and replaced by the relentless advance of the modern world during the XX century.

Tonada

Anibal Vidal

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