I’VE NEVER BEEN DEAD BUT I’VE BEEN ASLEEP (2020)

Instrumentation:

Cello (amplified)

Duration:

5 mins.

Program notes:

Based on Dominican songwriter Rita Indiana’s song Oigo Voces, this solo cello piece explores different elements from the song, as if they were ‘freeze on time’. “Nunca he estado muerta, pero si he estado dormida” is a quote from the song that always struck me.

With her lyrics, Rita evokes a sense of suspension, magical realism, and surrealism which are reflected on the piece and the musical texture through the different bowing indications.