the 400th anniversary of the
arrival of the first Acadian settlers from France. I felt an overpowering desire
to create a timeless gift for the Acadian people. passionately strove to shape my dreams into
abiding sounds, fighting many battles
within the walls of my soul. Romantic,
tragic, dramatic, sweet, heroic,dreamy, soulful,
brilliant, simple, grand, forceful… so many
musical expressions that can be found in my work. The agonizing cadences of the lives of loving
souls, torn from one another through tragic separation, are felt through the pathos of the
melodic lines. A resonating mirror reflects the flame-like spirit of the Acadian people, waxing and waning
in their struggle to conquer adversity. The lament of the sea, the muttering of its
depths, the tales of gloomy clouds and
of starlit skies are etched upon the orchestral score. The
monumental task of musical creation endowed it with an inconceivable power of expression, a true reflection of
the Acadian experience which was
not overcome by oppression but triumphed into a wonderful story of rebirth and affirmation.” |
Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey Compositrice/ Composer |
“Singing for the Acadian people
has always been a way of gathering us together, of uniting us in one
single voice, of giving us renewed hope by connecting us, simultaneously, and of moving us
forward towards a common destiny. Over the course of the 400 years of this adventure, this destiny has
changed greatly. Other voices have
joined in. Other music has appeared. From the
merry evenings of “l’Ordre de bon temps”
to the tunes we hear on the radio and from traditional choirs, up to
the very moment
of the creation of the first opera, diary where history is written for future generations to
revisit many times over. If written
words remain, our wish would be for the words of this opera to give
hope and inspire confidence to those who gathered to listen to this music and share this historic moment of the creation of the first
Acadian opera.” |
Le
10 juin 2008 Herménégilde Chiasson Librettiste
/ Librettist |