For five hybrid musicians
Sabia is a non-liturgical Requiem composed of four offerings: Terre en flammes, Eau sans souffle, Air ensablé et Feu sans rives. Each of its parts, associated with an element of classical theory, is materialized by a concertante form where each instrument takes the place of the soloist in turn. The role of each soloist was not thought to lead a virtuoso performance but rather to bring to the ensemble an identity of timbre on which different instrumental mixtures are applied. Each musician carries in their body a device that hybridizes them, making them become both performers and speakers. Sabia also finds its source of inspiration in the contemporary ritual practices of Andean cultures such as La Pachamama. In this sense Sabia is both, a ritual piece for the deceased Nature and an offering for its healing. Its origins arise from a reflection on the situation of the planet at a pivotal time when the hand of man seems to have changed almost everything forever and action to stop this change seems to have disappeared. Taking stock of the current state of things, Sabia, which means « wise » in the feminine in Spanish, alludes to Nature, the one we inherit.
To compose this work, Juan Arroyo received a writing grant from the French Ministry of Culture. Its creation took place in November 2019 at the Rocher de Palmer in Bordeaux with the Proxima Centauri ensemble.