Luciano Berio
Ekphrasis
Short instrumentation: 4 2 5 3 - 6 4 4 2 - mar, hp, cel, acc, pno, sop.sax, alto sax, t.sax, str(12 12 12 10 8)
Duration: 20'
Dedication: a Dario Del Corno
Instrumentation details:
group A1: flute
alto flute
tenor saxophone in Bb
1st bassoon
2nd bassoon
group A2: piccolo
flute
1st oboe
2nd oboe
clarinet in Eb
soprano saxophone in Bb
alto saxophone in Eb
group B1: 1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
1st trumpet in C (+picc.tpt)
2nd trumpet in C
1st trombone
2nd trombone
bass tuba
group B2: 1st horn in F
2nd horn in F
3rd horn in F
1st trumpet in C (+picc.tpt)
2nd trumpet in C
1st trombone
2nd trombone
bass tuba
orchestra: 1st clarinet in Bb
2nd clarinet in Bb
3rd clarinet in Bb
bass clarinet in Bb
contrabassoon
marimba
celesta
accordion
harp
piano
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
contrabass
Berio - Ekphrasis for orchestra
Audio preview
Work introduction
Ekphrasis (continuo II) is a reserved and reflective commentary on an adagio which I wrote in 1990. It is a commentary on a continuous and ever changing soundscape formed from a lace of repeated patterns.
I had no intention of composing a musical metaphor for architecture while I was working on Continuo. Nor did I want to write a musical homage to the famous architects from Chicago such as Sullivan, Wright or Mies van der Rohe. Neither did I want to engineer any direct reference to the amusing yet reasonable constructions by Renzo Piano whose work I greatly admire. During the course of composition, however, I realized that this was exactly what happened. The musical processes within the fabric of Continuo do indeed have similarities to architectural principles, in abstract form if not in static shape. The musical patterns result in a completely impractical building with no doors and pathways. Its expressive attraction, nonetheless, lies in the contradiction of being thus uninhabitable yet open at any one time for alternative extensions by added new wings, rooms and windows.
Luciano Berio