Viñao: Arcanum, for voice and chamber ensemble. Arcanum (Latin for a deep secret or mystery) is a work which takes the listener on a journey through the Bible, the Underworld, the Middle Ages and beyond in search of God, only to discover that divinity is in fact everywhere. It was conceived in memory of a friend of Argentinian-born composer Ezequiel Viñao (b. 1960). The work, in two parts, is a meditation on the concept of time itself and the nature of knowledge. In it the composer examines the development of early thought, using material from philosophers and composers alike. The often very brief texts, from the Bible and the works of Parmenides, Virgil, Augustine and others, are set to music inspired by sources scattered over nine hundred years: from early mozarabic chant to late medieval and renaissance composers such as Machaut and Gesualdo, and including influences from Persian and Hindustani music.
