Colombian-born cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia has released the single, Ouróboros, as part of the Musical Moments series on Deutsche Grammophon.
A self-composed work performed by Cañón-Valencia along with pianist Naoko Sonoda, Ouróboros takes its name from ancient Egyptian iconography and Greek magical tradition depicting a dragon or a serpent eating its own tail – often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
In exploring this natural process of creation and destruction, Cañón-Valencia has composed the piece as a series of concise musical motifs and patterns, all in a state of constant manipulation and repurposing.
’I have been fascinated by this symbol for quite some time and was inspired to create a piece based on its meaning,’ said Cañón-Valencia. ’The true essence of these initial motifs and patterns never quite disappears, as the cyclical nature of this symbol leads the piece to build upon its primary musical ideas in a perpetual cycle of destruction and rebirth.’
Ouróboros is the second of three planned Deutsche Grammophon singles for Cañón-Valencia within the Musical Moments series. The first of these, a recording of Arvo Pärt’s Fratres also featuring Naoko Sonoda on piano, was released on DG in July 2024.
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