Cristiano Porqueddu

Janas

Tied to a strong cultural diversity that makes Sardinia a world apart, the fascinating island mythology embraces epic narratives, monstrous creatures and legendary beings. The protagonists of the magical piece of this mysterious mosaic are undoubtedly the Janas, the dark equivalent of the better-known fairies. The Janas are described as small and beautiful creatures with delicate skin that the sun can burn, moody, sometimes witches sometimes fairies. Apparently they were skilled weavers and like many other ancient deities related to weaving had the gift of foresight and a power to divert the destiny of men. Janas - Poemetto per Flauto e Chitarra is a series of five short compositions that portray in music some of the moments in the lives of these mythological creatures, from their awakening until dawn, the moment when they had to return to their caves so as not to be burned by the sun. The piece is built on an interlocking framework where the thematic cells of one page are presented more or less overtly on the preceding page, and whose development is built on essential chromatic excursions on which brief melodic lines float and on the dialogue between the two instruments. The structure of the suite is specular and ties the first two and last two movements together with intervallic and rhythmic constructs. The central episode, Encanto (enchantment), plays the role of a gravitational fulcrum in which elements already exposed and those yet to be exposed are drawn together to shape a romance.