The Snow Woman
The Snow Woman (c. 6 mins) is based on a Siberian Folk Tale called Tynagirgin and Gitgilin, about two giants and a young shaman in search of a wife. It was written for Natalia Lomekio to play as an encore piece after concerto performances. The following extracts of the folk tale are loosely portrayed in the three continous sections of the work:
When he arrived at the great yaranga of the two giants, he entered before they could even bid him ‘etti’ – welcome! He stood before them on the hearth and announced his mission.
Tynagirgin turned angrily to his brother:
‘Let us teach this young intruder a lesson!’
So the giants brought the young man to the centre of the yaranga, pushed their cooking iron cooking pot aside and said:
‘Take a look through this hole at the life below.’
As the lad stared down into the underworld he was able to make out several large settlements with crowds of people in them. Some were fishing, some hunting polar bear, and yet other curing seal and walrus hides.
As they closed the opening, the giants said:
‘That is not all, now when shall show you something even more interesting. Come and see.’
The three of them went out into the snow and, all of a sudden, a great roaring was heard: as they made their way towards the sounds, the earth heaved and yawned and the two giants crowded round the hole in the ground.
‘Ah! Ooh! Oi-yoi-yoi! How exciting, how interesting it is down there! They exclaimed. ‘Now it is your turn, lad, just look below.’
The young man came forward and bent down to take a look. As he did so, the two giants pushed him through the hole and he plunged down towards a great boiling, hissing iron pot. While in flight, however, he quickly turned himself into a mosquito and flew up in the nick of time.
Leaving him to his fate, the two giant brothers returned to their yaranga. In the meantime, the boy had spotted a tiny crack in the ground, and he flew up into the outside world again and followed the two giants...
...All three made their way to the cliffs that towered about the mighty ocean. Coming to the very edge, first the two giants looked below, exclaiming: ‘Ah! Ooh! Oi-yoi-yoi! How exciting, how fascinating! Just take a look at that.’
As the young lad bent forward to look the two giants gave him such a shove that he fell headlong over the cliffs. However, as he plunged down towards the rocks below he swiftly turned himself into a sparrow-hawk, spread his wings wide and alighted gently upon a sea-spattered rock. Glancing about him he saw human blood staining the rocks around and dried innards strung over the outcrops; these were from all the people that two evil giants had pushed over the cliffs.
The hawk soared upwards and flew after Tynagirgin and Gitgilin as they made their way home. Entering their yaranga, the two giants began to chortle at their deed...
...the two giants handed him their drum and bade him display his shaman powers.
Yet the lad declined their drum.
‘I have my own,’ he said.
Taking a tiny tambourine from round his neck, he began to tap it softly from the centre outwards; and as he tapped it, the tambourine grew bigger and bigger until it was almost as big as the lad himself. And when it was large enough, he began his singing and whirling, calling up the Spirit of the Sea Breeze. Then, the sea, rushing into the yaranga with a roar, crashed its great ice floes against the tent walls and put out the fire. Terrified, the two giant brothers fled...
The story ends with the young shaman taking the two giant's wife, and living happily ever after and having many children.