The World Through Emilia's Dreams

To Emilia and Anna-Maria, for the luminosity of each gesture...!

Commissioned by the ‘Kammerphilharmonie der Universität Stuttgart’ to complete a program including works by Beethoven and Mozart, I composed The world through Emilia's dreams in Autumn 2019, a composition for symphony orchestra with ‘piano obbligato’. Although it’s not a typically concert work, the piano has a personalized role, as in a first-person narrative, where many times it comments, sometimes complements, and always unifies.

What 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Bonn's genius was a very attractive reason to accept the suggestion of writing, with additional pleasure, a new work for orchestra.

It is not about celebrating man but the work created by him, his artistic legacy. From this point of view, I have been interested metaphorically to recreate Beethoven's spirit, not only as an influential artist of the generations after him, but also who influenced him as creator:

“Not brook [in German: Bach], but sea should he be called” said the Master of Bonn, very impressed with Johann Sebastian Bach, the “forefather of harmony”. On the other hand, Mozart was the constant musical idol in Beethoven's creative life.

Here and there appear in my new composition very subtle references to Bach (my great musical reference!), Mozart and, naturally, Beethoven, who in turn was always very influenced by nature. Thus, in double connection with Bach and as a reference to our environment, the S-E-A motif appears throughout the composition. The beginning of the composition presents a contemplative image of an open landscape, which is interrupted by rhythmic touches that symbolize a concern about our surroundings in the ecological context. 

The work is structured in three continuous parts, and moves gradually from elegiac, contemplative and melodious passages to euphoric and dancing moments, which give clues to my Venezuelan origins. Counterpoint and polyphonic techniques appear here, as is characteristic in my compositional behavior. Various harmonic and melodic elements, which directly or indirectly refer to the classical masters mentioned are incorporated, transformed and sometimes even reproduce imperceptibly, but always intertwined with my own harmonic language. 

And Emilia?: She is part of the treasure that I keep from having had a childhood full of bright colors. She is my grandmother, a 91-year-old child who came to appear little by little during that magical mental and spiritual process that means composing: I have turned her into a song, based on her desire, her dream, of meeting all together again. 

The dramaturgy of the piece goes beyond the chronology of events to transform time into a metaphor: the art of all time dialogues us. I suggest a trip full of intense and contrasting moments of poetry and virtuosity, where Beethoven's longing and humanistic spirit will accompany us as a guiding thread.

 One thing in common has all the characters that I have involved in this composition: if I listen to some of the sublime sound monuments of Bach, Mozart or Beethoven, if I contemplate the imposing nature or if I talk with Emilia, they all take me to a world full of optimism, where even melancholy becomes hopeful, like a feeling of reaffirmation towards life...!

The work also exists in a version for solo piano under the title: Like Flames in a Shadow Riddle.

Commissioned by the Kammerphilharmonie der Universität Stuttgart.

FIRST PERFORMANCE: February 15, 2020 | Bürgersaal Vaihingen (Stuttgart) | Anna-Maria Maak (Piano) & the Kammerphilharmonie der Universität Stuttgart (Johannes Zimmermann, conductor)