Program notes
Soledad y el Mar (Maid of Blue) was conceived as part of a ballet inspired by the novel Il mare dietro la collina by Barbara Mastella. The piece is about a woman, Soledad, who lives by the ocean and believes from an early age that she is the “guardian of the sea.” This work depicts the moment when the relationship between Soledad and the sea is first established.
The music unfolds in three main sections. In the first, we hear the sea calling Soledad in an English horn solo; she follows the call until she finds herself on the beach, facing the water. In the second section she dives into the sea, only to be overwhelmed by the power of the waves. As she begins to drown she invokes her inner peace—Soledad’s theme—to tame the wild waters. Once the sea is calmed, the third section begins with Soledad’s theme presented peacefully by a solo violin. The ocean then joins in and builds to an orchestral climax, using Soledad’s theme as its own. The piece closes in a quiet coda, as Soledad and the ocean finally make peace.
Instrumentation & duration
Instrumentation: *3/*3/*4/*3 — 4/3/3/1 — timp + 5 — hp — pf/cel — str
Duration: ca. 10:30 (one movement)
Audio
Purchase options
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Orchestral parts for Soledad y el Mar are available on rental through our Rental & Licensing page.