Luciano Berio
Chemins III
Short instrumentation: 4 0 4 3 - 4 4 3 1 - perc(4), hp(2), cel, e.org, str
Duration: 15'
Solos:
viola
Instrumentation details:
piccolo
1st flute
2nd flute
3rd flute
1st clarinet in Bb
2nd clarinet in Bb
3rd clarinet in Bb
bass clarinet in Bb
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon
contrabassoon
1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
4th horn in F
1st trumpet in C
2nd trumpet in C
3rd trumpet in C
4th trumpet in C
1st trombone
2nd trombone
3rd trombone
tuba
1st percussion
2nd percussion
3rd percussion
4th percussion
1st harp
2nd harp
celesta
electric organ
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
contrabass
Berio - Chemins III for viola and orchestra
Printed/Digital
Translation, reprints and more
Luciano Berio
Berio: Chemins IIIOrchestration: for viola and orchestra
Type: Studienpartitur
Luciano Berio
Berio: Chemins IIIOrchestration: for viola and orchestra
Type: Dirigierpartitur
Sample pages
Audio preview
Work introduction
“Rien de ce que l’on fait n’est jamais fini,” wrote Berio for the premiere performance of this work: “Nothing one does is ever finished.” Sequenza VI is a good example; initially, Berio discovered the possibilities of a work for viola and ensemble (Chemins II), further developing it later on into an orchestral work (Chemins IIb). In Chemins IIc it became a concerto for bass clarinet and orchestra and ultimately, in Chemins III, a viola concerto.
Like all the other versions, this work is a tour de force for the soloist, as the instrument tries to prevail over hostile forces – the orchestra – in the course of the concerto. At the end, the viola stands alone, victorious but exhausted; it has strength enough for one short tremolo, otherwise wearily playing isolated notes until the music abates entirely.