La Loba
Duration ~ 7 minutes
Available from Adamo Press
East Chapel Hill High School Orchestra, Conductor Ryan Ellefsen
Chamber Orchestra: 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet in Bb, 1 bassoon; ocarina; 1 horn in F, 1 trumpet in C, 1 trombone; 2 percussion; piano; strings
Full Orchestra: 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet in Bb, 1 bassoon; 1 horn in F, 1 trumpet in C, 1 trombone; 2 percussion; piano; strings
La Loba draws on a myth from Clarissa Pinkola Estés' Women Who Run With the Wolves. La Loba, the Wolf Woman, is an ancient, wild figure who wanders desert arroyos collecting bones, especially those of wolves. When she has assembled a complete skeleton, she sings over it until flesh returns, fur grows, and the creature breathes again. As the wolf runs free, it transforms into a wild woman, running free. She is known by many names: La Huesera, La Trapera, La Loba, and her sole work is preserving what is in danger of being lost. This piece is a musical portrait of that act: gathering of bones, singing them to life, and her wild resurrection.