Douranda
as Trevas (Painting darkness gold) takes its title from a poem by the
18th-century neo-classical Portuguese lyric poet, Manuel Maria Barbosa
du Bocage (1765-1805). The work is an ever-changing universe of sound,
mainly created by the vibraphone at the beginning. The main climatic
passage represents the darkness changing into gold with the two tubas
singing in counterpoint against a throbbing, harmonic accompaniment.
The work ends as it begins, enigmatic and dark.