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The Hand, Unveiled

By thisisuser on October 21, 1996

sinfonia concertante for harp and orchestra (2,2,2,2/4,0,0,0/1perc/strings)
composed 1986-87, revised 1996; duration 34 minutes
commissioned by the 3rd Festival of Contemporary Music, Cuba
world premiere La Habana (Cuba) 1987
Sofia Asunción Claro – harp
Sinfónica de Matanzas; Tomás Fortín – conductor
revised version Querétaro (Mexico) 1996
Sofia Asunción Claro – harp
Filarmónica de Querétaro; Sergio Cárdenas – conductor

The Hand, Unveiled opens with a brief statement by the orchestra before the harp takes over, accompanied by the strings. This dialogue explores various gestures, often returning to a brief, enigmatic embellishment in the lower range of the harp. Wind instruments join in, and shimmering textures in continued gliding motion set off in correlated directions.

Again the soloist gains control of the flow of the music, and little by little the audience is lead into the somber world of the lowest strings of the harp. The unusual accompaniment of horns in their lowermost register gradually brings the music to a halt, making way for the first cadenza.

And then, emphasizing a plurality of opposites, modal rhythms combine in timbrical structures of distant cultures. The harp combines with percussion and plucked strings in a constantly evolving sound-space, propelling the soloist into yet another cadenza. The sheer length of the concerto demands this second cadenza, but the conclusion that it brings to the soloist’s almost uninterrupted playing leads into a final crescendo by the orchestra, bringing the piece to a spectacular close.

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