Creation : 07/09/1974, Fête de l’Humanité, La Courneuve, France
Musicians : 6 percussionists and orchestra
It is an oratorio composed on the texts of Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet, ambassador in Paris of Chile of the Popular Unity. The work was composed in 1971/72, and Neruda had the joy of attending the first rehearsals in 1972, before returning (for a last trip) to his country where his death followed that of Allende for some time. The parallel destinies of the two peoples intersect and come together in the common work of the poet and composer. The musical premiere took place on 7 September 1974 (with the participation of the Percussions de Strasbourg), at the Fête de l’Humanité, at a time when Chile was locked in a long and terrible night, from which Greece had just emerged. The Canto General will be the gift brought back from exile by the composer to salute his newfound freedom. Sung in Spanish (for Theodorakis insisted on keeping Neruda’s original text) by Maria Farandouri and Petros Pandis, the Canto General reminds the Greeks how fragile their luck remains, and that the ordeals, by ending, have already reappeared elsewhere, perpetrated by the same hands. Musically, the work consists of thirteen parts, some very short, others very important. These different parts speak of Latin America, its people, the power and importance of nature in everyone’s life. Birds with their strength and colours; the wind that brings the scents of the earth, the sea, tobacco, and also seeds and life; the insurgent peoples, with a hope that gives them the strength to fight for freedom. With these few elements, it is clear that the work has little to do with the sacred oratorios such as Bach or Häendel have left us. The Canto General is almost a return, in content if not in form, to the early works of the 17th century, featuring allegorical characters: time, life, the world… It is a great hymn to Freedom. The orchestration includes 2 pianos, 3 bouzoukis that can be replaced by flutes, a classical guitar, a 12-string guitar, an electric guitar, a bass guitar, 6 percussion instruments and timpani, with, of course, a mezzo soprano and a baritone solo, as well as a mixed double heart. Canto General is dedicated “to the memory of the pianist Yannis Didilis, my faithful collaborator and friend, the soul of my popular orchestra since its creation in 1960.
Mikis THEODORAKIS