"Icarus - The Anchor in the sky"

"ICARUS - THE ANCHOR IN THE SKY" is a "symphonic parable". The composer Tsenko Minkin shares: In the crack of dawn, on the highest cliff overhanging the sea, Icarus prepares to fulfil the dream of his life - to fly like a bird towards the sun with the wings made by his father, the skilled craftsman Daedalus. He spreads out his arms with the wings attached to them, takes a sweep, a few leaps, dashes towards the abyss and ... oh, WONDER! He flies over the sea expanse. He soars like a bird, flying higher and higher, dazzled by the vastness and by the brilliance of the sun. So carried away by the beauty of flight, he forgets about his father's advice not to get too close to the celestial luminary, lest he be scorched. But ... he soars so high that only the free winds and scorching rays are around him, melting the wax of his wings and burning their feathers. Icarus soars to the abyss, to his doom... And then people begin to talk: 'That's how it suits him, being so presumptuous!', 'But did he really fly, or did he just jump off a cliff?', 'And if he flew, why did he fly?', 'Who let him fly?', 'What an outrage is this, and what will happen if everyone dares to fly?', 'Let every memory of ICARUS's 'wicked' example be erased!' ... And in spite of all this, a star up in the sky, the star of ICARUS, continues to shine and twinkle and send out sparkling signals that humans were born for happiness and flight, and this faith is our ANCHOR IN THE SKY. As programmatic as it is, the play was conceived in 2003 but was written in 2022. Its title, Icarus - The Anchor in the sky, was suggested by the sculptor Alexander Dyakov. It is part of a trilogy of "symphonic parables" for large (triple) symphonic orchestra. The first is The Bay of Dromos (the title is based on an idea by Hristo Fotev, 1997), and the composer is still working on the third one, The Eye of Virgin Mary. A prologue, two major sections and an epilogue stand out in the philosophical narrative of Icarus. In the first part, the main theme of Icarus, the theme of flight, is voiced. The second, which is central, is constructed as a double fugue. Its first theme mirrors Icarus's theme - it is the inner struggle of the protagonist himself. The second one sounds "chatty" and depicts the people's talk, the chatter filled with doubts. A dramaturgical climax follows before the epilogue. The play is sonically embossed and richly coloured. With its language, the music imaginatively conveys the messages of the verbal narrative. (The piece was realised with the support of the Musicautor Cultural Fund.)