Secret talks between two lonely hearts

Emperor Xuanzong dreams
of meeting Yang Guifei
for SATB a cappella choir
Poem by Marianna De Carlo

I started composing this piece after I discovered the wonderful tale of the Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, from Chinese history.

I was very impressed by the strength of the feeling between two people so distant because of age and of the social class, a feeling that still remains even after the death (a death unfair and cruel).

I imagined - with a lot of fantasy and letting myself be carried away by my personal feelings - what would be the power of the Emperor's love, expressed by the music he composed for Yang Guifei, a music we still can't know today. I wanted them to meet again, in a wonderful dream, where their painful hearts could love each other.

Upcoming performances: The piece was performed by the Jacksonville Unervisity Infinitus Choir (Julian Bryson, conductor) during several concerts and events in Jacksonville, Florida and by the Gita Sekawan - SMAK Penabur 4 Choir (Jeremiah Purwoto, Artistic Director), in Jakarta (Indonesia).