Bouchara

Bouchara (subtitled "chanson d'amour") is a 1981 work for mixed chamber ensemble by Canadian composer Claude Vivier. It was originally intended to serve as an interlude for his unfinished opera Rêves d'un Marco Polo (1983-), but was published independently of the opera after weeks of deliberation. A typical performance lasts around twelve minutes.

Composition
The piece was premiered on 14 February 1983, at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France.

Program notes
The notes given by Vivier in the finished manuscript:

"Bouchara se veut une longue chanson d'amour... le texte entier est une langue inventée, une langue d'amour, histoire se répétant éternellement.

Bouchara is meant to be a long love song... the entire text is sung in an invented language, a language of love, a story which repeats itself continually."

Instrumentation
The work is written for a mixed ensemble of solo soprano, wind quintet, string quintet, and percussion battery.


 * Woodwinds
 * Flute
 * Oboe
 * Clarinet
 * Horn in F
 * Bassoon


 * Percussion
 * Balinese gong
 * Chinese gong
 * Tam-tam
 * Tubular bells
 * Bass drum
 * Magnetic tape


 * Strings
 * 2 Violins
 * Viola
 * Cello
 * Bass


 * Voice
 * Soprano