Antwerp Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Wim Henderickx

Symphomorphosis (I) (2012), for orchestra is the first of a series of works under the same title that explore different aspects of music.
(here fragments I and II)


© SABAM. All rights reserved.

Evans Koçja - Symphomorphosis (2012)

I. Sol
II. Mi
III. Fa

Riccardo Perugini - composer
Andrea Fumelli - recording, sound design mix and master
Sara Mazzarotto - violinist 
Francesco Vernero - violist
Claudio Pasceri - cellist

Madri - (for string trio)

Riccardo Perugini - "Studio natatorio"

LISTENING WITH HEADPHONES IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Ryszard Lubieniecki - portative organ
Kamil Kęsca - recording, mix and master

When I discovered that the portative organ has a blowhole underneath my vision of the instrument changed drastically. I was immediately struck by the parallelism with the cetaceans and hence the idea of handling the portative organ as a living creature of which I tried to analyze the respiratory system. The piece alternates between deep breaths and long moments of apnoea, interrupted only by short strenuous gulps of air. The breathing exercise precedes the dive, followed by a new ascent back to the surface before diving back under again. At times the creature seems to have reached the utmost limit of its lung capacity, like it’s running out of available air. These are the moments when gravity alone applies pressure on the bellow of the instrument, releasing every last breath of air through the pipes and causing a cloud of high pitched harmonics to pop up. The portative organ is also able to produce a wide range of layered sounds belonging to distant semantic fields: percussive tactile sounds, ligneous thuds, alien chirps and whistles and solemn, almost sacred, harmonies. And all this while the song of the submerged creature moves away. There is a “life of things” in this piece, voiced by a living instrument, although ironically lost over time and almost forgotten, which was reconstructed from a painting.

Recorded in Bydgoszcz.

Studio natatorio - (for portative organ) - Ryszard Lubieniecki

This was the winning work of the 2021 Lawson-May Award for Composition, part of the Solent Music Festival. The final selection was judged by Joanna MacGregor, who wrote:

I’m delighted to award the first prize to the Italian composer Gianluca Castelli, whose cello and piano work Atemkristall is an elegiac evocation of the poet Paul Celan. I was particularly impressed by Gianluca's sense of pacing: a compelling, contemplative opening that was bold enough to include silence, leading ultimately to a fierce, declamatory climax for both instruments, which was both exciting and visceral. The challenging cello part - with judicious use of harmonics, encompassing a plangent voice -  explores the range of the instrument beautifully; the pianistic writing is colouristic and rich. Although short, this skilful piece has something profound and emotionally complex to say. I can imagine it making a big impression in a recital.

Atemkristall by Gianluca Castelli (2021 Award)

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra | Peter Rundel

Queen Elisabeth Hall, Antwerp.


© SABAM. All rights reserved to the author.

Evans Koçja - Mystères de l'espace, for orchestra (2020)

Requiem

Requiem No. 14

This piece is a gift, written especially for Stefano and Suzanne, two dear friends who were united in marriage in Paris in July 2022. 
They asked me to write a piece for small orchestra intended for the Paris performance for their wedding. Given the situation, I immediately thought of both of their musical tastes and the question, "What would happen if Debussy played Wagner's wedding march?" 

"Prélude à l'après - midi de Wagner" was performed (first and only performance) on July 8, 2022 at the Theatre de l'Athénée Louis Jouvet in Paris, by the Orchestre de Chambre de Nouvelle - Aquitaine conducted by Jean - Francois Heisser to great audience appreciation.  An excerpt of the performance is given here. 


Enjoy listening 

S.T.

8/07/2022, Theatre de l'Athénée Louis Jouvet, Paris (FR) 

Orchestre de Chambre de Nouvelle - Aquitaine 
conducted by Jean - Francois Heisser

Prélude à l’après-midi de Wagner (extract) (2022)

Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese
Marco Moresco, conductor

Dark Clouds, for orchestra

for oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, double bass

Camerata Bern
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, soloist

This piece got the first prize at the «Sound-Magical-Space – S.M.S.» Call for Scores by Camerata Bern, thanks to the audience vote

Prélude à l’après-midi de Wagner (extract) (2022)

Simone Tonin

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