TOMÁS MARCO (b.1942): (S)otto voci(e) for 8 Mixed Voices, Concierto Coral No. 1 for Violin and 2 Choral Groups, Mysteria for Orchestra, Necronómicon for 6 Percussionists.

Description: (S)otto voci(e), with its 'instrumental' use of voices, in rich dissonant harmony based on a persistent octatonic chord and a polyphony of vocal effects, is strikingly reminiscent of Giles Swayne's extraordinary and original Cry from the 1980s, written to showcase a similar virtuoso vocal group (the BBC singers in that case; Neue Vocalsoloisten Stuttgart in this). The Concerto is a full-scale one for violin, with a capella vocalising choral forces taking on the rôle of accompanying ensemble. The expressive, cantabile capabilities of both solo instrument and ensemble, and their capacity for flexibility of pitch are emphasized, with the sinuous violin line exploiting its quasi-vocal sonorities as closely as possible, in a closely matched dialogue with the voices, which contribute sumptuous chordal sonorities and fluid textures in the midst of which the violin weaves a distinctive sonorous thread. Mysteria and Necronomicon (with its explicit Lovecraftian associations) are early works (1970 and 1971) and are experiments in sonorism, '... music as a point of encounter and equilibrium between magic and logical thought.' Both consist of complex, fluid textures in constant, slow motion and transformation. Scriabin's 'Mystic chord' is a recurring feature of Mysteria, but otherwise the emphasis is on tonality-free sonorous textures rather than the harmonic thinking present in the composer's later works. Irvine Arditi (violin), Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid; José Ramon Encinar, Miguel Groba, Jordi Casas (conductors).