Italiensk Koncert (Italian Concerto) was composed in 1981 and first performed by The Elsinore Players, conducted by the composer that same year in Mexico City. With obvious reference to Bach’s famous concerto, it is a piece in ‘Italian’ style.
For a contemporary composer, however, this is something rather ambiguous. The three movements thus refer to three different Italian modes of expression, whereas each is at the same time an ‘ommagio’ to an Italian composer. The first movement refers to Niccold Castiglioni, a music of high registers, nervous activity and reminiscenses of stately baroque. The second is related to 17th century composer Bernardo Pasquini, famous also for his imitations of birds. The middle section also contains a reference to Stravinsky. The last movement is an ‘ommagio’ to Luciano Berio: rapid, multicoloured unisons in a dynamic, dramatic flow. The piece is in E major and E flat major, with a constant tight-rope balance between the two.
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