Composer

:

Terry Riley

Genre

:

Chamber

Style

:

Song

Compose Date

:

1996

Average_duration

:

24:18

Movement_count

:

5

Movement ....

Cantos Desiertos is a composition by American composer Terry Riley. It was composed in 2002 and premiered on October 26, 2002, at the Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico. The piece is divided into three movements and is scored for string quartet and pre-recorded tape. The first movement, titled "Canto de la Tierre," is characterized by a slow and meditative pace. The pre-recorded tape features sounds of wind, birds, and other natural elements, creating a sense of vastness and emptiness. The string quartet enters with long, sustained notes that gradually build in intensity, creating a sense of tension and anticipation. The second movement, titled "Canto de los Cielos," is more lively and rhythmic. The pre-recorded tape features sounds of percussion instruments, creating a driving beat that propels the string quartet forward. The quartet plays fast, syncopated rhythms that are reminiscent of Latin American music. The final movement, titled "Canto de la Luz," is the most ethereal and otherworldly of the three. The pre-recorded tape features electronic sounds and the quartet plays long, sustained notes that create a sense of weightlessness and transcendence. The movement ends with a fade-out, leaving the listener with a sense of mystery and wonder. Overall, Cantos Desiertos is a haunting and evocative work that showcases Terry Riley's unique blend of minimalism, world music, and experimentalism. The use of pre-recorded tape adds an extra layer of complexity and depth to the piece, creating a sense of space and atmosphere that is both mesmerizing and unsettling.

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