Adeliia Faizullina:
Soo Anaso "Mermaid" (2016)
For Soprano and chamber ensemble, consisting of flute, cello and percussion.
Duration: 7 min 15 sec
Premiered in February, 2017 (Austin, TX), by Adeliia Faizullina, Matt Armbruster, Kendall Floyd, and Nick Goodwin.
Program Note
"Soo Anaso" is a mermaid in Tatar folklore. The piece paints a picture of this creature, who sings and dances amidst a lake, and woodland scene at night.
The first section of the piece has a meditative feel as we enter the woods and hear Soo Anaso’s voice. The voice sings in an improvisatory style with some ornaments from Tatar folk music.
The middle section is a dance. The syllables of the text (at-ta-ti, da-ra di-ta-ti-ra) are the syllables that Tatar people would use when they dance to create rhythm when no other instruments are around to play. The voice is accompanied here by triangle and percussive playing on the cello.
The third section also has a meditative feel, but this time it portrays the lake and it’s stillness, shining with the reflections of the stars in the sky. The vibraphone part represents the shimmering lake. Air sounds, are also present as we listen to the surrounding environment with all the sounds of the wind, lake, and rustling leaves.