“Maré” translates as “tide” in Portuguese.
It is the title of a brief chamber work by American composer Gabriella Smith (b. 1991). Scored for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, and cello, it was written in 2017 for the New York-based sextet chamber ensemble, yMusic. It is included on the group’s fourth album, Ecstatic Science.
Smith explains,
I wrote it on an island in Brazil when I was staying at an artists’ colony. The tide affected our lives in a meaningful way. When it was in, it would come all the way up to the steps of [where we were staying]. When it was out, it left a huge expanse of beach. That was one of the first trips I brought my hydrophone on.
Maré begins with a magical collage of ambient voices. We hear the repeating patterns and hypnotic pulse of Smith’s mentor, John Adams. There are vibrant cross-rhythms and spirited allusions to rock and roll. The climax arrives with ecstatic shrieks rising in instrumental voices. The final bars give us the sense of a pulsating machine fading into the distance.
Recordings
- Smith: Maré, yMusic, New Amsterdam Records
Featured Image: yMusic, Photo by Graham Tolbert.