Brusa, Elisabetta-Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (Incls Favole & Suite Grotesque)

"First class performances, and a splendidly vivid recording. This is a collection not to be missed at the Naxos price."
- Ivan March, Gramophone, January 2003

Firelights (1992-1993), for large orchestra, is a free fantasy inspired by various masterpieces written throughout the centuries for festive events such as fireworks, dances, mythological stories, chimerical and wild scenes and also phantasmagoric images and atmospheres. The work is dedicated to the conductor Fabio Mastrangelo.

Adagio (1996), for string orchestra, is a freely structured composition in a single movement inspired by well-known masterpieces such as those of Albinoni, Mahler (Adagietto), Rodrigo and Barber. Independent of a pre-established form (sonata or suite), it originated as an autonomous composition in which neo-tonal techniques are amalgamated with contrapuntal techniques, and yet it follows a certain formal tradition and an expressive style which have distinguished the numerous Adagios of the past.

Wedding Song (1997), for large orchestra, is a hymn/song-like ode to the inner and outward joy of love and marriage: gentle, deep and solemn, in one respect, joyful, open and luminous, in another. Both the hymn (inner spirituality) and the song (outward joy) are heard distinctly at first but then the two themes fuse into one musical idea and the work culminates with a festive but solemn atmosphere, underlined by various types of celebratory bells. The work is dedicated to my husband, the conductor Gilberto Serembe.

Requiescat (1994), for large orchestra, is a freely structured musical prayer in a single movement inspired by the spiritual aura of many famous Requiems, but above all by the simple words of the well-known inscription found on tombs: Requiescat in Pace. Amen, with which it ends. It is not a tragic work but one that reflects a more positive attitude towards the sorrow and the longing for a dearly departed person. Requiescat is dedicated to the memory of Hans Keller, my spiritual enlightener and mentor, with deepest gratitude and affection.

Suite Grotesque (1986), for orchestra, consists of four free fantasy movements connected to one another by a grotesque atmosphere full of unexpected timbral and structural effects that create a phantasmagoric aura within a neo-tonal style. They vary in character, however, and reflect typical movements of other established musical forms. The first is a domineering and powerful Scherzo, the second a dark, sinister and evanescent Adagio, the third an Andante pervaded by an insinuatingly gentle and melodious atmosphere and the fourth is a vigorous and caricatural Finale. The first and third movements have similar themes, as do the second and the fourth. This last movement contains all the themes of the Suite, particularly in the final fugato, where they are presented in quadruple counterpoint. They have the same tonal centre - E - in common.

Favole (Fables) (1982-1983), for orchestra, is a work for young people and the not so young, with a little philosophy, some cultural tradition and a pinch of ironic humour, but above all a great deal of fantasy and liberty in the wake of the literary texts that inspired them. The work was dedicated to my godson Matteo on the occasion of his birth.