Terra sagrada,
Terra solitária

for SATB chorus, string quartet, and piano (2023)

Duration: 16 minutes

Text: Portuguese

Movements:

1. Oliveiras, oliveiras
2. Vou-me embora, vou partir
3. Os guardas bateram
4. Alentejo, Alentejo!

Program Note:

With Terra sagrada, Terra solitária, composer Steven Sérpa connects with the music of his long-lost Portuguese heritage. This suite is built on folk songs from southern Portugal and incorporates the communal style of folk singing “Cante Alentejo.” Terra sagrada marks out emotions experienced by many emigrant/immigrant families: the desire to see the world or find a better life for their families, the heartache for loved ones left behind and nostalgia for the villages they grew up in, and a sacred esteem for the lands that gave them life.

Premiere:

Panoramic Voices, Juli Orlandini, dir.
with Invoke and Benjie Dia, piano

The Hall at Jester King, Austin, Texas
October 21, 2023

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