Hardy Mertens

U Mundu Drentu A Ti (With Soprano Voice Ad Lib)

U mundu drentu a ti is a symphonic poem in seven movements for soprano voice and wind band written in 1997. The text is by Carla Correddu and is written in the Carlofortinian dialect, one of Sardinia's cultural treasures. The composition is in seven movements which flow into one another: 1. 'So near and so far' 2. 'Scented air' 3. 'Turquoise sea' 4. 'Within you' 5. 'Seagulls and falcons' 6. 'Silver beam' 7. 'So far and so near' The world within you Hierakon (*), the world so near and so far Where time flows differently Immersed in a biting and scented air White seagulls circle the sky Royal falcons scream from high cliffs And a turquoise sea penetrates into deep throats A sudden silver beam illuminates the boundless expanse And, above separates this Hierakon from another So far and so near, within you *Hierakon is the Greek name of the little Saint Peter island, an almost magical word used to refer to a very near and, at the same time, very distant world