Works > ZUHUY KAK
ZUHUY KAK
New Fire
Written in:
1997
Duration:
11'
Instrumentation:
violoncello
Commisioned by
Premiere
Premiered on 5th October 1997 in Salle de L’Aubette, Strasbourg for Festival Musica by Rohan De Saram.
Programme Note
In the Mayan language spoken in the southeastern part of Mexico, ‘Zuhuy Kak’ means ‘new fire’. It refers to those fires that were lit by the Toltecas during the religious ceremonies to prevent the end of the world and to mark the new time cycle every fifty-two years.
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In the context of this work for solo cello, it refers to a new approach of rhythmic material taken from Kandyan drumming form Sri Lanka, where its dedicatee has his roots. This piece incorporates the Gajaga Vannam or Elephant Vannam of Sri Lanka.