MONTE MEDULIO

The symphonic poem “Monte Medulio” is inspired by the legend that on some Galician mountain, probably on the banks of the Miño, the last battle of the Galician, Cantabrian and Asturian warriors took place in the year 22 BC against the Roman legions of Gaius Furnius and Publius Carisius. On this legendary mountain and during the battle, the warriors who fought committed suicide in an act of resistance and rejection of Roman submission.

The work consists of a single movement divided into three very different parts that beautifully recount the course of the struggle between Galicians and Romans. Thus, the first part is called “Amencer castrexo” and it depicts the life of the Cantabrians, Asturians and Galicians before the occupation. Apparently it is a normal awakening but in the atmosphere one can perceive the tension prior to an event that would change the future of the people.

In SPQR, which is the second part of the work, the tension that was palpable at dawn in the castle becomes real. The arrival of the troops, represented by the footsteps of the musicians, gives rise to a fight that culminates in the collective suicide of the defeated, who, despite being defeated, did not want to succumb to the occupation and in an act of bravery demonstrate that they prefer to die rather than live under Roman power.

Finally, a “Homenaxe aos heroes perdidos” is paid. This last part represents what could be an image of Monte Medulio after the battle. It is a return to calm that exalts the bravery of the fighters and mixes the pride and courage of the fallen with the sadness of defeat and the consequent occupation.