Folio: Chartreuse is one of a collection of five chamber works written by composer, Dinah Bianchi. Commissioned by the 2021 Atlantic Music Festival, the composition was originally written to showcase the Resident Artist's Ensemble in connection with the festival. The composition features the following instruments: Clarinet in Bb, Horn in F, Violin, and Piano. “Folio: Chartreuse,” is a work written for the clarinet, horn, violin, and piano. The collaboration of this original instrumentation allows the music to paint a soundscape that aurally embodies the essence of the implied narration. The music contained within the movement aurally depicts feelings, emotions, and memories of events taken from a chartreuse-colored journal or folio. As the protagonist reflects on days past, the music develops, capturing the emotional content that envelops the protagonist. Eventually, the protagonist resolves to the realization that the personal loss felt and experienced was real.
Performance at Premieres Concert I - Michigan State University. Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Chen-Fang Tsai, Clarinet; Nicole Minney, Horn; Sander Kostallari, Violin; and Fangzhou Feng, Piano.
*Composed May 15, 2021.

Folio: Chartreuse

Harmony 58 is an electroacoustic work that features the clarinet and a fixed media recording. Designed with the clarinet in mind, the work consists of at least 58 varying sounds and elements originally recorded by use of the clarinet. Throughout the work, the listener will be mesmerized by the ways in which pitch, rhythm, timbre, extended techniques, sonic layering, motifs and the overall use of sound editing compliments one another. Along with a semi-aleatoric live solo score, these elements harmoniously present themselves between the solo clarinet and the fixed media recording, interacting with one another to construct a captivating and ever-changing soundscape.
Recorded performance by Dinah Bianchi on Nov. 15, 2021.

Harmony 58

Commissioned by the Yale School of Music, “Meditation on Kokoschka’s Painting,” is an aural reflection on Oskar Kokoschka’s powerful work, “The Red Egg.” Through each brushstroke, the artist portrays the destruction of Czechoslovakia in 1939, following the Munich Agreement. For those who are not familiar with this work, the painting consists of strikingly grotesque caricatures of Hitler and Mussolini, the red egg which symbolizes the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, a feline that represents France, and a lion which represents England. With Prague burning in the background, along with a roasted chicken fleeing the scene, one can gather the dark yet satirical orientation of this work. In keeping with the ghastly/grim nature of this visual art piece, I have attempted to highlight the potential agony and betrayal that that the people of Czechoslovakia must have felt with the signing of the Munich Agreement. While listening, you will hear bouts of angry visceral musical lines followed by quandary and glimpses of hope which turn to be false. Towards the end, the music ignites with a relentless fury of organized chaos, which depicts the fierce persistence of the Nazi Party during World War II.
Premieres of New Music II
Performance by Nick Hamblin, Clarinet; Joseph Deller, Violin; Wenqi Ma, Cello; & Robert Conway, Piano.
MSU Composition Studio
Cook Recital Hall - November 29, 2022.

Meditation on Kokoschka's Painting

Commissioned by the Unheard-of//Ensemble, Magenta Sunset is an electroacoustic work that features the clarinet, violin, cello, piano and a fixed media recording. Designed with this instrumentation in mind, the work consists of a multitude of sounds and elements originally recorded by use of the chosen ensemble. Throughout the work, the listener will be mesmerized by the ways in which pitch, rhythm, timbre, extended techniques, sonic layering, motifs and the overall use of sound editing compliments one another. Along with a semi-aleatoric live score, these elements harmoniously present themselves between the performers and the fixed media recording, interacting with one another to construct a captivating and ever- changing soundscape.
Performed by Unheard-of//Ensemble July 22, 2022.
Collaborative Composition Initiative Premieres
World Premiere by Unheard-of//Ensemble
2022 Collaborative Composition Initiative
Mise-en_Place Greenpoint - New York

Magenta Sunset

Lively Brass ensemble piece written for two trumpets, trombone, and bass trombone. 2021.

Mild Effrontery for Brass Quartet

Written for clarinet, horn, violin, and piano, Folio: Rouge is a theme and variations imagined through the eyes of a couple strolling along the boardwalk, visiting various shops and persistently being bombarded by an on- foot band. Humoresque; tongue in cheek. The second piece of a five work collection. 
Dinah Bianchi, Composer. 2023.

Folio: Rouge

Commissioned through the generous support of Maestro Octavio Mas-Arocas and Michigan State University’s New Fanfare Project. Originally written with the purpose of introducing Guiseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, “Aere Perennius,”  is an homage to the late composer’s masterpiece. With the title meaning, more lasting than bronze, “Aere Perennias”, reminds us all just how powerful and moving Verdi’s music was and still is as it has undoubtedly withstood the test of time. If you listen closely slightly after the halfway point, you will hear the horn quote the opening bars of this magnificent work.
Dinah Bianchi, Composer. 2022.

Aere Perennius: Fanfare for Brass Quintet

Written for string orchestra, “Isolation,” is a reflective work that expresses the intense emotions that individuals may experience during unwanted solitude. This work is in direct response to the forced separation of orchestral performers due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic. During the composition process, I was granted the privilege of virtually interviewing several orchestra members and requested that they share their feelings openly. At the end of the process, it was abundantly clear to me how deeply humans need social connections and music is one of the most meaningful ways in which our species connects. Without live music-making, many musicians were lonely and despondent. Regretfully, some even became withdrawn. However, there were musicians who, despite the restrictions, found hope in the fact that one day, they would return to the stage. To highlight the array of feeling, the music portrays a wide variety of moods. At times, the music is uncomfortable, stark, and jarring, while at other times, it may seem beautiful and comforting. 
Performed by the International Symphony Orchestra; Oct.14, 2022.
Dinah Bianchi, Composer. 2022.

Isolation for String Orchestra

Highlights is a lively and energetic work written for Brass Ensemble. Commissioned and premiered April/2016 by the Wayne State University Wind Symphony.
Dinah Bianchi, Composer. 2016.

Highlights Fanfare for Brass Ensemble

Written for full orchestra, Pandora aurally depicts the modern interpretation of Pandora’s Legend and is presented in three movements: Origin, Emanation, and What Lies Within. The first movement, Origin, focuses on the creation of Pandora. In the beginning, the musical material depicts the power and anger of the gods during the process of her formation while accompanied with hints of her beauty. Swiftly following the outbursts, sounds of primordial nuances set the scene for the beginnings of her existence. From there, the god theme and the Pandora theme alternate and eventually converge in order to introduce Pandora in her final, breathtaking form. The second movement, Emanation, focuses on the opening of the jar, releasing chaos and mayhem and the listener will hear a serpent-like melody snaking through the orchestra, becoming more dissonant as it progresses. The final movement, What Lies Within, represents what remains within the jar: Hope. Without hope, humanity is lost. The piece ends in an explosion of joy. 

Commissioned by Maestro Andrew Neer and the Macomb Symphony Orchestra. Featured during their Heroes and Legends series. 
Composed by Dinah Bianchi, 2023.

Pandora for Orchestra

Derived from the Greek word pelagikos, which means, “of the open sea,” Pelaga aurally illustrates a tale depicting the unpredictability of the ocean. The work is comprised of two main contrasting sections. Beginning with the beauty and placidity of the calm and still waters, the horn and piano immerse the listener with graceful, sweeping gestures, mimicking the movement of sun-glistened waters and slowly undulating waves. Not long after, the winds begin to change and the first section ends with a tinge of lingering uncertainty. Immediately following, the second section commences where the sea’s tumultuous nature takes over. With the wind at the helm, the sea envelops everything in its way. Taken over by the divergence, freighters, barges, and other sea-worthy vessels struggle to stay afloat, sending out distress signals while hoping to avoid other watercraft. This extra-musical identity is brought to life through the use of extended techniques within the horn part, including glissandi and stopped horn and is accompanied by dissonant, marcato gestures within the piano part. As the music progresses, it seems that there may be a lull in the ominous weather, only for the chaos and disquietude to ensue. 
Music for Solo Horn and Piano. Dinah Bianchi, Horn and Composer. Irene Steyman, Piano. 2019
**For information on where to purchase the score and parts, please visit:
www.dinahbianchi.com.

Pelaga: When Sea Encounters Sky

Dinah Bianchi

Related tracks