Sursum corda (2003)

Sursum corda (Lift Up Your Hearts), scored for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and four percussionists is an ode to optimism, an expression of hope in life. Divided in two sections, the first part features a constant sixteenth-note motion in the percussion over the text sung by the mezzo-soprano. This incessant motion, representing a desire to live is counterbalanced in the second section, when the baritone joins in a duet the mezzo-soprano. This second and last section, featuring other percussion instruments, transforms the loss of hope in our lives into an exhortation to experience our lives to their fullest possible and enjoy their beauty. Both singers join at the end with the encouraging lines by Miquel de Palol: “I will always be a child, loving life and when I die, I will have a smile in my eyes.”