Tierra Arrasada
for small ensemble and electronics
Sarah Kolat, narrator
Evan Smith, alto saxophone
Jordan Voelker, viola
Michael Nicolella, electric guitar
Cristina Valdés, piano
Bonnie Whiting, percussion and Mesoamerican instrument replicas
The work is mainly based on two sources, the Mayan creation myth Popol Vuh, and an unclassified CIA document on Operation PBSUCCESS, a covert operation carried out by the CIA that paved the way for the 36-year-long civil war in Guatemala. The source materials are presented directly as narration via the electronic layer. The piece thus can be thought as an aural documentary that is presented within a ritual-like musico-dramatic environment.