Ivan Yohan: Daemon Irrepit Callidus (SSAA)

Ivan Yohan’s Daemon Irrepit Callidus is a dramatic and rhythmically charged work for female choir, exploring the tension between temptation and spiritual devotion. Set to a Latin text attributed to an anonymous Hungarian source, the piece contrasts the seductive attractions of the flesh, praise, pleasure, and worldly abundance with the central affirmation that nothing is more valuable than the heart of Jesus.

Written for female choir (SSAA), the work is built around energetic rhythmic patterns and increasingly intense repetitions of the text. A particularly distinctive middle section gives individual singers considerable freedom: voices enter independently, sustain different pitches, and move between chords using glissando or portamento, creating an unstable, almost shifting soundscape. The score then returns to a strongly coordinated, forceful choral texture, culminating in the repeated declaration Cor Jesu minus aestimat.

A powerful choice for women’s choirs seeking contemporary sacred repertoire with strong rhythmic energy, expressive contrasts, and an unconventional approach to vocal texture and ensemble performance.