Dante Alighieri

for fl. cl. vl. vc. pf. perc.

after a text by dante alighieri

CNR Boulogne-Billancourt

2017

pictures | frances benjamin johnston

performance | students of the cnr boulogne-billancourt

dante alighieri takes the sestina 'al poco giorno ed al gran cerchio d'ombra' by the Italian poet as foundation for six short miniatures. Every verse of the poem is referenced not only through a rigid temporal transcription of its rhythmical structure into musical events but also in the sound material itself: In addition to their instrumental part, every musician creates acoustic, nature-imitating sounds, which refer back to the rhymes; ombra, colli, erba, verde, petra, donna…

The piece was written for the ‘Concours de composition de la ville de boulogne-billancourt 2017’ and was awarded with the Prix Alain Louvier after being performed in the final on March 13, 2017 by students of the CNR Boulogne-Billancourt.