It’s as if Christopher Columbus’ commentary on his first voyage to the ‘new world’ in 1492 (with incidental reference to kicking the Moors out of Spain) was somehow cross-transmitted with info from the NASA website about the 1996 Mars Pathfinder mission. Commissioned by Vancouver New Music for musica intima in 2000. (PH)

‘the city of granada on the surface of mars’ was part of X - Ten Centuries/Ten New Works.  Ten pieces were commissioned from ten different composers, each relating to a different century between 1000 and 2000; be it through text or musical or historical references.  Four of the pieces were performed by musica intima, with and without instrumental ensemble, at the Chan Centre in September 2000.  The project was conceived by Owen Underhill and put on by Vancouver New Music, funded by the Canada Council’s Millennium Fund.