Ophelia in the Garden

for solo harp and string orchestra (min. 4,3,2,2,1)
composed 1989; duration 13 minutes
commissioned by Orquésta del Bajío (Mexico)
world premiere Guanajuáto (Mexico) 1990
Sofia Asunción Claro – harp
Orquesta del Bajío; Sergio Cárdenas – conductor

The dramatic intensity of Ophelia wandering about in the garden of the castle of Kronborg is strongly felt in this piece. We feel how her mind gradually becomes entangled in thoughts it cannot reconcile, as she tries to come to terms with the fact that the man she loves – Hamlet, Prince of Denmark – has turned away from her. Slowly her personality begins to disintegrates as her mind is absorbed in the thicket of her inner landscape. Her hands try, but is unable to find a rescuing tune, leaving her only with a sarcastic and persistent idée fixe.

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