Oia, for tenor and guitar. Gloria Rodríguez Gil

Oia is a piece composed between the end of 2013 and February 2014. It was born from a concerto for tenor and guitar which could not take place. That is how the composer created a version for tenor and piano with an optional clarinet, so this new format could premiere in the monastery church in Oia on 14th June 2014 as part of the concerto Monastery Songs, organised by the ACAMO association. It was performed by tenor José Antonio Campo, pianist Severino Ortiz and clarinetist Uxío Pazos, the three of whom I want to thank for their heartfelt interpretation. The fingering was revised by Yago A. Reigosa, while the tenor’s part by José Antonio Campo, for whom the original voice line was slightly adapted. In 2015, tenor Enrique A. Martínez contacted the composer to record Oia in the original version to later include it in the disc called Illa de nós. The title was taken from one of the haikus by poet roman Raña, to which Gloria R. G. added music and that are also included in this disc. It was financed by three Galician institutions to acknowledge the great effort made by the students of the Higher Conservatories of Music of Galicia. Enrique, the tenor, was awarded the first prize for musical excellence in 2015. Guitarist Antón Galovart Araguas was in charge of recording the part for guitar, with a duration of 6 minutes and 12 seconds, and which has not been performed in front of an audience yet. Why Oia? Because that is where the composer has lived for more than 20 years, a place she is in love with. The authorship of the text remains anonymous, as that was the author’s wish. The text is rich in expression, situating at each of the cardinal points to discover the unique landscape that this place offers, with a different light and sea every day.