Work: Wayra
Composer: Juan Arroyo
Duration: 20 minutes
Instruments: Isoprano, 4 Mohoceños, clarinet, percussion, guitar, violin and cello.
The opera-ballet Les Indes Galantes (1735-1736), composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau on a libretto by Louis Fuzelier, was the source of inspiration for the writing of this new piece. In Scene 2 of the entrance The Incas of Peru, Phani, a young Inca princess, sings for the Gods to act in her favor, freeing her from Huascar, High Priest of the Sun, and delivering her to Carlos, the conquistador whom she adores. Evoking the exoticism of his time, Rameau thus invents the songs and dances of the Incas. Written for soprano and instrumental ensemble, on a text co-written with Gilles Charlassier, Wayra consists of three incantations and means «air” in Quechua. By deconstructing the scene of Phani – its baroque exoticism, its love subject to the desire of the Gods, its melodic line and its language – this piece brings forth four new realities to her character. Indeed, the use of Latin American instruments, such as the Moceños, combined with instruments of the Western tradition, allowed me to build a hybrid sound universe in which the four incantations are sung in Quechua, French and Spanish.