Transcript:

[0:07] Dr. Miguel Roig-Francoli: Hello, I'm Miguel Roig-Francoli, professor of music theory and composition at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. I'm the composer of the piece for string orchestra that you will hear in this video: “Chaconne of Loss and Hope.” In 2014, I went through a time of personal loss. Loss, be it personal or collective, results in grief and pain. But I also think that hope is often a natural result of loss. I experienced at that time that hope was one of the feelings that helped me overcome loss, move forward, and keep my sanity. I decided then to express my feelings of loss and hope musically in a simple direct way and I did so through Chaconne of Loss and Hope. The world is now going through a period of collective social loss. I find that the motivation that led to this piece is perfectly valid at the times we are living in now. As we experience the feelings of collective loss and hope ,besides the personal losses that many of us are going through now, there is also a sense of collective grief for so many things that we feel we are losing. We need to balance this grief with a sense of hope for a better world and a better life when we come out of this trial. We need to be aware that this is a great opportunity to revise and reverse some of the human actions that are creating so much harm to our planet and our life quality. I hope that you will find in my Chaconne both an echo of the grief we feel for our collective and social losses and also a light of hope for a world and a society more in balance with itself and the planet. I thank you very much for your kind attention.

[2:06] Performance of “Chaconne of Loss and Hope”