Traces
’Traces (El rastro)’ is a chamber opera for soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello and electronics.
It was written for a workshop during the Darmstadt festival 2014 but is a part of a 3 part chamber opera called ”The Illuminated Traces of Ligeia". This chamber opera has the subtitle ’a visual audiodrama’ and should focus on this when performed. It can be performed either as a chamber music piece or as a short chamber opera. It is 15 minutes long, with text inspired by the Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez & two poems by Inger Christensen and Pentti Saarikoski.
The characters in ’Traces’ are:
Nina - soprano
Will - tenor
Narrator - mezzo soprano
’Traces’ is a part of the chamber opera "The Illuminated Traces of Ligeia”. The Darmstadt version is not the one that will be final in the chamber opera. The instrumentation will then be:
Singers: Soprano, Mezzo soprano, Tenor & Bass
Musicians: Fl, Cl, Prc, Pno, Acc, Ztr, Vln & Vlc
Other: Choir, Electronics & Dancer
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This piece is published on Edition-S. For more information about the piece or other, send an e-mail to info@edition-s.dk. For only information about hiring material, send an e-mail to sales@edition-s.dk.
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Material to download:
Score (contact the publisher Edition-S)
3 Soundfiles (contact the publisher Edition-S)
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Listen
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Traces
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Dress rehearsal with the singers Jessica Aszodi (sopr), Clara Stengard Hansen (mezz sopr) & Hitoshi Tamada (ten) & the ensemble Interface with the conductor Stefan Schreiber playing on the 14th of August 2014 in Darmstadt, Germany during the Darmstadt festival. Ensemble Interface consists of: Bettina Berger (flute), Andrea Nogy (clarinet), Angus Wilson (percussion), Anna D’Errico (piano), Alicja Pilarczyk (violin) & Christophe Mathias (cello)
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Text:
Narrator:
I see the light skies
I see the light sun
I see how easy they paint
An endless continuum
as if they feel trust
To me standing on the ground
As if they know that I
Am their words.
Will:
Is it bad?
Nina:
Not really.
It is just a little sting.
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Nina:
If someone wants to find us, it
will be easy. He only needs to
follow the traces of my blood in the snow.
Imagine, a trace of blood in the snow,
the whole way from Madrid to Paris.
Wouldn’t it be nice for a song?
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[Nina’s song]
He came, he saw and followed.
Followed my trace in the snow.
A snow which had the colour.
The colour of love, life, despair.
He could not resist
to find the source.
He could not resist my trace.
My trace of blood is visible
the whole way from Madrid to Paris.
My life is running out of me.
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Don’t get scared.
The worst thing that can happen
is that this cannibal cuts off my hand
and eats it.
Narrator:
The sky surrenders
and thoughts
do not bring us anywhere
we are constantly
lost
[Will’s song]
Will:
He came, him the fool, and strangled.
Strangled the love of his life.
A life of which he's not worthy.
If worthy was ever for him.
How can I ever go on?
Give me a chance to start over.
Narrator:
Jeg ser de lette skyer
Jeg ser den lette sol
Jeg ser hvor let de tegner
Et endeløst forløb
som om de føler tillid
Til mig der står på jorden
Som om de ved at jeg
Er deres ord.
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Will:
¿Es algo grave?
Nina:
No.
Es sólo un pinchazo.
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Nina:
Si alguien nos quiere encontrar será
muy fácil. Sólo tendrá que seguir el
rastro de mi sangre en la nieve.
Imagínate, un rastro de sangre en la
nieve desde Madrid hasta París. .
¿No te parece bello para una canción?
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[Canción de Nina]
Él llegó, él vio y la siguió.
Siguió mi rastro en la nieve.
Una nieve que tenía un color.
El color del amor, la vida, la desesperanza.
Él no pudo resistir
para encontrar la fuente.
Él no pudo resistir mi rastro.
Mi rastro de sangre es visible
sin parar desde Madrid hasta París.
Mi vida se está quedando sin mí.
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No te asustes.
Lo único que puede suceder
es que este caníbal me corte la mano
para comérsela.
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Narrator:
Taivas nöyrtyy
ja ajattelu
ei vie mihinkään
me olemme aina
eksyksissä
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[Canción de Will]
Will:
Él vino, él, el tonto, y estrangulado.
Estrangulado por el amor de su vida.
Una vida que de él no es digna.
Si alguna vez fue digan de él.
¿Cómo voy a pasar?
Dame la oportunidad de empezar de nuevo.
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