The orchestration of this cantata was commissioned by
Vijay Upadhyaya, Conductor of the choir and orchestra
of the University of Vienna.
The cantata, originally for soprano solo, mixed chorus
and piano, was presented in the present version with
female choir and orchestra,
in Vienna, in the University Hall on May 8, 2013.
The score for women's choir has been created in a
separate file.
The midi-files of the individual voices are available
and can be requested by email.
Individ...(+)
The orchestration of this cantata was commissioned by
Vijay Upadhyaya, Conductor of the choir and orchestra
of the University of Vienna.
The cantata, originally for soprano solo, mixed chorus
and piano, was presented in the present version with
female choir and orchestra,
in Vienna, in the University Hall on May 8, 2013.
The score for women's choir has been created in a
separate file.
The midi-files of the individual voices are available
and can be requested by email.
Individual instrumental parts are available and can be
requested by sending an email to:
lipumanelly@yahoo.com
Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, is said to be a
prophetess in the book of Exodus (the most detailed
version of the narrative in the Hebrew scriptures). In
chapter 15 she takes up the song of victory after the
more expanded song of Moses (often called the Song of
the Sea). Grillparzer develops Miriam’s version,
drawing on specific details in Exodus 14. The
miraculous appearance of divine protection in the form
of columns of cloud and fire is interpreted as a sign
of God’s loving protection, as if he were a shepherd
herding his sheep. The piling up of the water to allow
the migrants to escape is presented as disturbing and
worrying (people are looking anxiously at the walls of
water around them) rather than impressive. The collapse
of the water and the destruction of Pharaoh and his
army is celebrated, but not with total conviction.
Miriam and the other women are still worried that their
enemies will re-surface. These touches manage to give
an emotional reality and a human sensitivity to a story
that can be so easily distanced from us because of its
familiarity and grandeur.
