1998, rev 2005 (appx 23’)
flute (doubling picc., alto fl.) clarinet A (doubling bass cl.), alto saxophone, piano, violin and electronics
Programme note:
Gabriel García Márquez’s story The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and her Souless Grandmother is one of his most disturbing and moving short stories. The young heroine is forced into prostitution by her wicked grandmother in order to repay for the loss of the home – the result of the ‘wind of misfortune’ blowing a candle against a curtain. In this incredible tale of love and loss, of tenderness and cruelty, humanity at its most raw is fully revealed. This chamber work forms the basis for an opera that never has yet been, but might one day. It is full of symbolism and imagery, conjuring up the heady atmosphere of South America and of all the surrealness our protagonists experience.
© Paul Max Edlin 2006
Perusal score available on request