Los Rituales
for violoncello
- year of composition
- duration
- ca. 4'30"
About the work
Los Rituales was inspired while doing field work to transcribe music from Voodoo ceremonies in the Dominican Republic. None of the work’s musical material is directly quoted, but the piece’s structure and moods reflect the atmosphere of rituals that invoke the creation of new souls: “El Nacimiento” reflects the nascent idea of a new soul; “La Bendición” summons the universal creative energy; “La Danza del Fuego” invokes the soul’s creation and welcomes it. After the priest has channeled and welcomed the new soul, a mystical calm (“Los Bebes”) follows: the priest is in a trance and at one with all.