Riccardo Riccardi
Enigma (Opus 47)
Short instrumentation: 3 3 3 3 - 4 3 3 1, timp, perc(4), hp, pno, str
Duration: 21'
Instrumentation details:
1st flute
2nd flute
piccolo
1st oboe
2nd oboe
cor anglais
bass clarinet
1st clarinet
2nd clarinet
contrabassoon
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon
1st horn
2nd horn
3rd horn
4th horn
1st trumpet
2nd trumpet
3rd trumpet
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
tuba
timpani
1st percussion
2nd percussion
3rd percussion
4th percussion
harp
piano
1st violin (14 players)
2nd violin (12 players)
viola (10 players)
violoncello (8 players)
double bass (6 players)
Enigma (Opus 47)
Sample pages
Work introduction
Written in 2003 and revised in 2020, Enigma is a work for full orchestra in four movements in the tradition of a classical symphony. Enigma's structure has one peculiarity however: at the end of both the third and fourth movements, short adagio sections are inserted. They act as interludes and postludes, discharging the tension accumulated in the course of work. The two moments are based on the same theme and represent two deeply intimate breaths. The first seems almost a deception. The second is a final reiteration.