Mascarada by alicehopingyee

This is a 15 minutes, 4 movement’s composition written for solo cello and strings, with an optional flamenco dancer. The title “Mascarada” is a Spanish word for masquerade, it is inspired by my personal fascination with Spanish music, especially the flamenco dance culture which is passionate, rhythmic, full of spontaneous energy and feminine beauty. The four connected movements Prologue, Ballo, Epilogue, and Masque are constructed with lush melodies, contrasting moods, colorful string and percussive effects to capture the spirit of flamenco dance elements, and to present to the audience a dramatic music journey that is similar to the Spanish oral storytelling tradition.
The recording is a world premiere by cellist Rachel Mercer, flamenco dancer Cyrena Luchkow-Huang, with the Allegra Chamber Orchestra conducted by Janna Sailor.