Las Flechas del Inca

Jacob Lyon leads C4 in a performance of Victor Sotomayor's piece Las Flechas del Inca, performed at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields as part of our program, The Seventh Self.

Text:
Tuvo tres flechas en la mano el Inca,
y, alegre, a la primera preguntó:
«Amiga fiel, envenenada flecha,
di, ¿qué me pides hoy?»
«Fuerte guerrero de infalible pulso,
de bravo corazón,
Te pido sólo destrozar las alas
de cóndor volador».

Tuvo tres flechas en la mano el Inca,
y, alegre, a la segunda preguntó:
«Amiga fiel, envenenada flecha,
di, ¿qué me pides hoy?»
«Fuerte guerrero de infalible pulso,
de bravo corazón,
Te pido sólo desgarrar el seno
de tigre acechador».

Tuvo tres flechas en la mano el Inca,
y, alegre, a la tercera preguntó:
«Amiga fiel, envenenada flecha,
di, ¿qué me pides hoy?»
«Fuerte guerrero de infalible pulso,
de bravo corazón,
te pido sólo atravesar el pecho
de vil conquistador».

English translation
The Arrows of the Inca

The Inca had three arrows in his hand,
and, happily, at the first he asked:
—«Faithful friend, poisoned arrow,
Say, what do you ask of me today?
«Strong warrior with infallible pulse,
with a brave heart,
I only ask you to destroy the wings
of flying condor.

The Inca had three arrows in his hand,
and, happily, the second time he asked:
—«Faithful friend, poisoned arrow,
Say, what do you ask of me today?
—«Strong warrior with infallible pulse,
with a brave heart,
I only ask you to tear the breast
of a stalking tiger.

The Inca had three arrows in his hand,
and, happily, on the third time he asked:
—«Faithful friend, poisoned arrow,
Say, what do you ask of me today?
—«Strong warrior with infallible pulse,
with a brave heart,
I only ask you to cross the chest
of a vile conqueror.

Text written by Manuel González Prada


Composer: Victor Sotomayor
Conductor: Jacob Lyon
Soloist: Alexa Letourneau

Sopranos:
Emma Daniels
Zoe Hart
Karen Siegel
Hannah Cai Sobel
Grace Tyson

Altos:
Katherine Doe-Morse
Jamie Klenetsky Fay
Katie Kress
Lila Meretzky
Cynthia Shaw

Tenors:
Alexa Letourneau
Mario Gullo
Perry Townsend
Daniel Andor-Ardó

Basses:
Evan Fontaine
Evan Johnson
Bryan Lin
Brian Mountford
George Wright

Recorded live November 10th, 2023
The Church of St. Luke in the Fields
New York City

Audio recording: Kevin Boutote
Video recording: Sanford Schwartz and Alexa Letourneau
Editing: Cynthia Shaw, Daniel Andor, and Alexa Letourneau

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