The audiences at the recent world premiere performances of This Big Moroccan Sea in the San Francisco Bay Area were moved by fine singing and the poignant text at the heart of this work. It also received a very favourable critical response:
- “….In constant movement, with ceaseless, practically subliminal activity, the voices all around the soloist parse his story into syllable and sound … a unique and moving experience.” (Ken Bullock, ForAllEvents, Thursday, March 25, 2010)
The choir was the San Francisco Choral Artists celebrating their 25th anniversary and their 15th year under inspired director Magen Solomon.
- Here is a recording of their beautiful performance in Oakland (by kind permission of SFCA).
- You may also like to view a perusal score.
- Here is further information on the inspiration for this work.
In some respects the death of an illegal immigrant is an unlikely source for a musical text. However, I found the story very moving from the start and, as is often the case, immediately the musical ideas started to flow. This is not a description or an illustration; the horror of these events and the agony of the protagonist certainly do not require word painting to intensify the impact. Rather this an emotional reaction – a counterpoint to the story – perhaps also a glimpse of a human drama in a wider context.
Thank you,
Christopher
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