Tara De Vata Si Carton - animation music for Flute, Bassoon, Viola, Cello and Electronics

Piece composed for collaboration with live video animation artist Emmanuel Flores; commisioned for silent film night with live music at InnerSound festival 2012.
Inspired by the worldbuilding of Eugen Ionescu in his series of poems "Elegies for tiny beings"(see below original and English translation).

Ana Chifu - flute
Maria Chifu - bassoon
Tamara Dica - viola
Laura Buruiana - cello

În țara ceea nu deosebești piatra
de pasăre sau duh:
sunt de vată și carton.

Cine vrea își scoate sufletul,
îl pune alături
și-l privește ca pe o ființă streină:
am zărit duhuri de pomi, de păsări, de oameni.

Oamenii-păpuși cântă rugăciune mută:
Dumnezeul lor are barbă albă.
Oameni păpuși și duhuri de vată!
Zâmbete de pastă!
Pomi de cauciuc!
Ochi candizi și ficși!
Culorile sunt palide, nu țipă.
Spațiul are doi metri cubi.
Focul e o cârpă roșie și îl iei cu mâna.

Țara asta a mâzgălit-o, pe carton, un copil.
Copilul visează: nu-l trezi.

English:

On those lands one cannot make the difference
Between a bird and a soul:
they are of cotton wool and cartboard.

Whoever wants will take their soul out,
put it on the side
and look at it as if it was an external being.
i saw souls of trees, of birds, of people.

The doll-people are dinging a mute prayer:
Their God is white -bearded.
Doll-people and cotton wool souls!
Paste smiles!
Rubber trees!
Candid, fixed eyes!
The colors are pale, they do not scream.
The space is two cube-meters worth.
The fire is a red cloth you can take away with your hand.

These lands were drawn, on a piece of cartboard, by a child.
The child is dreaming: do not wake him