La traición de las imágenes
(The Treachery of Images)

for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, contrabass and prepared piano

This song cycle is my response to eight surrealist works by René Magritte, whose famous The Treachery of Images highlights the impossibility of art to truly reflect reality. Magritte described his creations as “images which conceal nothing [and] evoke mystery… [they do] not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either; it is unknowable.” I have tried to capture the same spirit of mystery in both the words and the music.

  1. La bandera negra
  2. Lo bello cautivo
  3. El parque del buitre
  4. La nostalgia
  5. La respuesta inesperada
  6. El forro del sueño
  7. La anunciación
  8. El fin de la contemplación

El parque del buitre performed by mezzo-soprano Julia Tang, flutist Jodie Rottle, and violist Yun Emily Wang:

La anunciación performed by Julia Tang and members of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble:

View score samples for El parque de buitre and La anunciación.

For information about Spanish pronunciation, read the Spanish Diction Guide.