Pedra nua

Pedra nua (Naked Stone) is the fourth movement of the choral work Llum (Light). This work has been recorded by the Latvian Radio Choir conducted by Sigvards Klava and released on an award-winning CD produced by Ondine Records. 

Pedra nua (Naked Stone) is the fourth movement of Llum (Light), an invitation to take a journey inward, to travel to the immense space which is, precisely, what makes us human, to that silent place which exists within us, to the deep wellspring that is the birthplace of everything, to the bright sapling of Peace; to the infinite, which announces the Mystery; to the gift of Life, Peace and Love. The text was written by Vicenç Santamaria, a monk from the monastery of Montserrat.

Pedra nua (Naked Stone) is a contrapuntal work comprising a retrograde canon in the female voices and a canon on the octave which functions as a drone in the male voices. The austerity of the technique of invertible counterpoint generates, with very few notes, great complexity of intervallic relationships. I have used this technique in order to create a sparse music - in the face of the coldness of naked stone - which, at the same time, is nevertheless worked in such a way as to make reference to the complexity of Life that has its origin, as the second verse says, in ‘the great silence’.

Pedra nua (Naked Stone) is dedicated to my friend and composer Bernat Vivancos.

Ramon Humet