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FABIO GRASSO

COMPOSITIONS

 

 

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Solo Piano

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Two Pianos

Ensembles < 5

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Theater

Cadenzas

 

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Click the titles with red background to view infos about the pieces and then to listen to mp3 tracks.

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INFO availability of the scores: please send an email to the address indicated at the page of the Contacts

 

 

1) SOLO PIANO PIECES

 

 

·         Microforme, 1992, 4-5’ 1st perform.: Berlin Philharmonie, 1/8/1993, F. Grasso. 4 aphoristic pieces

 

·         Suite, 1995, 11’ 1st perform.: 29/2/1996, Orléans, Salle de l'Institut. Other perform. 30/5/1996, Paris, Salle Gaveau. F. Grasso. In 7 mov.: Monadi, Contrappunto I, Monodia, Contrappunto II, Intermezzo, Contrappunto III, Les derniers soupirs de Delphes.

 

·         Trois images d'après Verlaine, 1998, 9’ 1st perform. 24/5/1998, Nice, Salle West End, Fabio Grasso. In 3 mov.: Croquis parisien, Cauchemar, Nénuphars (from 3 poems by Verlaine).

 

·         La danza segreta di Maeve, 1999, 7’ 1st perform. 19/3/2000, Montpellier, Le Corum, F. Grasso. Other perform. 12/7/2000, Colmar Festival Benedetti Michelangeli, F. Grasso. Inspired by some verses of Yeats’ “Countess Cathleen”. Maeve – Irish name of Mab, the shakespearian fairy queen – is the “queen of the invisible host”, which during the full-moon nights breaks off her ritual dance to cry in loneliness a mysterious love, lost and forgotten.

 

·         Der frommen Kindheit stille Blumenzeiten, 2001, 6’ for piano and digital support. 1st perform. 12/6/2001, Vercelli, Museo Borgogna, Fabio Grasso. Inspired by a verse drawn from the cycle of spiritual poems Jugendandacht by Eichendorff, in which the vision of spring colours and blue skies recalls the memory of the elapsed childhood, happy and unrepeatable age.

 

·         Preludio e Quasi Fuga sul nome B.A.C.H., 2003, 6’

 

·         Fantasia Veni Creator Spiritus, 2003, 24’ Polyptych in 9 not separated episodes: Preludio, Corale, Trenodia, Improvviso, Toccata, "Fuga", Trenodia eolica, Corale tras-figurato, Postludio. The conception of this virtuoso piece has been inspired by the philosophical and theological meanings of the greek word "pneuma" (= Spirit, breath, wind). Each episode has a subtitle or a non-musical motto (biblical or literary), that refer to this theme. Many materials derive from the elaboration of fragments of the Gregorian hymn Veni Creator Spiritus.

 

·         Les alcyons de Corinthe, 2004/2007, 6’ 1st perf. Vercelli, Sala Dugentesca, National Convention of the Classical Culture Italian Society, 22/4/2007. The title derives from an hellenistic epigramme, in which the sad flight of the alcyons over the Greek sea seems to cry the ancient lost freedom.

 

·         Soupirs d’un midi aux douteuses lueurs, 2004, 6’ 1st perform.: 19/6/2004, Lieu d'Art Contemporain de Sigean, F. Grasso. This piece with strong harmonic connotation (the interval of fifth is clearly predominant), owes its title to a poem by Lamartine, inspired by a mediterranean landscape (Ischia, from Nouvelles méditations poétiques).

 

·         Blumentraum, 2006, 6’, also for piano, fl, vn, cello. 1st perform. for solo piano: 1/7/2006, German-Italian Cultural Association, Palazzo Albrizzi, Venice, F. Grasso. Homage to Jean Paul’s Blumenstücke (1795-96) and to the related Schumann cycle op. 19.

 

·         Étude-Impromptu Hommage à Ligeti, 2007, 5’

 

 

 

2) TWO PIANOS

 

 

·         Der gefesselte Strom, 2004-2005, 14’  Some performances: Piacenza, Sala del Conservatorio, 19/11/2006, Vercelli, Teatro Civico, 23/11/2006, Fabio Grasso and Antonio Tarallo. “The fettered stream” is the title of an Hölderlin’s poem, which evokes the cycle of a stream and contemplates its overflowing vital energy and the life-giving spirit which animates it, in spite of the fetters of its repetitive route. In the piece the idea of a cyclic flow with ecer-changing nuances is realized through the aggregation and the disgregation of continuous figurations, that are alternated and superimposed in aleatory manner.

 

·         Trois valses oniriques, 2006, 7’. 1st perform.: 19/11/2006, Piacenza, Sala del Conservatorio, F. Grasso and A. Tarallo. Three short pieces permeated by thrills of waltz-rhythms, with veiled reminiscences of Chopin, Berlioz, Ravel. It can be played also for solo piano and piano 4 hands..

 

 

 

3) SOLO PIECES for other instruments

 

 

·         Clinamen, for oboe, 1993 rev. 2003, 8’ Clinamen is a term of epicurean physics, that defines the inclination of the trajectory of the atoms, i.e. the deviation from their standard movement. That is musically interpreted as a series of strong variations on an originally uniform material.

 

 

 

4) CHAMBER MUSIC – ENSEMBLES < 5 players

 

 

·         Quartetto, for String Quartet, 1998, 16’

 

·         Encheibròmos, for 4 Harps and Alto Flute, 2000, 12’. Inspired by mythic tales about Athena - the title is a Pindaric epithet for Athena, that means "with thunderlance". in 3 mov.: Echi dall'ombra della Makrai, Lamento funebre for la Gòrgone, Epinicio.

 

·         Flowery tales from Arcady, for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, 2004, 7’ This work draws its inspiration from John Keats' Ode to a Grecian urn, where the poet's imagination is caught by an arcadian scene so vital though in its perennial immobility.

 

·         Konzertstück, for Violin and Piano., 2005, see below version for Violinn and Orchestra

 

·         Blumentraum, version for Fl, Vn, Cello, Piano., 2005, see above Solo Piano version.

 

·         Synaesthesia, 3 pieces for clarinet and piano, 2007, 8’

 

 

 

5) CHAMBER MUSIC – ENSEMBLES > 5 players

 

 

·         La sérénade aux tristes sourires, for Fl, Ob, Cl, Bass Cl, Bassoon, Horn, 1 Perc, Harp, Vn, Vl, Cello, 1996, 12’ First Prize Competition "Journées de la jeune musique" de Marseilie 1999 1st perform. 19/11/999, Marseille, Cité de la musique, Ensemble Télémaque,

 

·         HEX-A-GON, for Piano, Guitar, 1 Perc, Fl, Cl, Bs, Horn, Tr, Trbn, 1997, 12’ 1st perf. 12/9/1998, Amsterdam Gaudeamus Music Week, De Ijsbreker, Ensemble Télémaque.

 

·         Fantasia solipsistica, for 3 String Quartets, 2001, see below version for String Orchestra.

 

·         Die tiefverborgnen Quellen, for Piano and Cello concertanti, Ob, Clar, Horn, Viola, 2006. 13’

 

 

 

6) CHAMBER MUSIC WITH VOICE

 

 

·         Due Notturni su liriche greche, for Soprano, Fl, Piano/Cel, Harp, 2 Vn, Vl, Cello, 2002, 11’. On Alcman's "silent night" fragment and Sappho's "full moon" fragment, Ancient Greek text.

 

·         Due liriche di Mimnermo, for woman’s voice and piano, 2005, 8’. 1st perform.: 20/5/2006, Alessandria, Auditorium del Conservatorio. Lucia Lazzeri, voice, F. Grasso, piano. Ancient greek text.

 

 

 

7) ORCHESTRA

 

 

·         Variazioni for orchestra, 2222-222; Tp; 2 Perc; Cel; Strings div. 33332, 1992, rev.2001, 10’

 

·         Symphony of the Spring Plenilune, 3333-4331; Tp; 3 Perc; Piano; Harp; Strings 88664, 1998, aleatory duration (minimum 16’). Inspired by the prologue of a Psalm, this work experiments with a strongly aleatory writing, which rests on the perception of the inner time and on the multi-level flowing of the time.

 

·         Prière nocturne des glaciers, 2122-11; 2 Perc; Strings 86433, 2001, 10’

 

·         Fantasia solipsistica, 2001, 10’ for String Orchestra 99632 (compulsory). Also in a version for 3 Strings. Quartets.

 

·         Species verna diei, 3333; 4331; Tp; 3 Perc; Harp; Strings 12-10-8-6-4 (compulsory); Digital support ad libitum. 2002, 15’. In 2 Mov., Finstre Himmelsferne, Frühlingsverklärung, Species verna diei (The springlike aspect of the day) is a quotation from Lucretius' De rerum natura..

 

 

 

8) SOLO INSTRUMENTS AND ORCHESTRA

 

 

·         Katoptroeidès, for guitar and orch. 2222-3221; Tp; 3 Perc; Cel; Harp; Strings div. 22342 1996, 18’. First Prize Ginastera Competition 1996. 1st perform. 24/11/1997, Buenos Aires, Teatro Colòn, Buenos Aires Philharm. cond. B. D’Astoli, guit. M. Galliano.

 

·         Concerto for piano and orchestra 2222-222; Tp; 2 Perc; Strings div. 32222. 2000, 25’.

 

·         Konzertstück, for Violin and Orch. 2222-4231-2 Perc, Cel, Harp, Strings. 12-10-8-6-4 (compulsory), 2004, 10’. Also in a version for Violin and Piano.

 

 

 

9) VOICES AND ORCHESTRA

 

 

·         The unfading threnody, for Tenor, Barytone, Basse; Man’s recitative voice; Men’s Choir TB (min. 12×2); Women’s Choir SA (min. 12×2); 3333-4331; Tp; 3 Perc; Piano; Harp; Str. 99664 (compuls.), 1996/97, 24’

 

·         Koròn Epitàphia, for Soprano, Tenor; 2222-2221; Tp; 1 Perc; Piano; Harp; Str. div. 22222, 1997, 16’. Six pieces on Greek and German poems.

 

·         Dämmerungsschauer, for Soprano; 2222-2221; Tp; 1 Perc; Cel; Harp; Str. 88654 (div. 44452), 1997, 11’. On excerpts from Novalis' III Hymne an die Nacht.

 

 

 

10) THEATER

 

 

·         Hymenaeus for Antigone (Hyperscenes of tragedy), 2001/2002, 1-Act Chamber Opera, Man’s recitative voice, Soprano, Mezzosoprano, Alto; Chamber choir SB (monodic parts). Fl, Ob, Cl, Bs, Tr, 2 Perc, Piano/Cel, Harp, 2 Vn, Vl, Vc, Cb. 40’ about. Multilingual libretto by Fabio Grasso, freely drawn from Sophocles (Antigone, Œdipus in Colonos), Euripides (Alkestis), Schiller (Kassandra).

 

 

 

11) TWO PIANOS TRANSCRIPTIONS

Transcription of three movements of STRAWINSKY’s PÉTROUCHKA (Danse russe, Chez Pétrouchka, La semaine grasse). Some performances: Piacenza (Sala del Conservatorio), Vercelli (Teatro Civico), F. Grasso e A. Tarallo. Go to LISTEN for a mp3 excerpt.

 

12) CADENZAS to Piano Concertos: Cadenzas to the 1st and to the 3rd mov. of the Mozart’s Piano Concerto K467 di Mozart, and to the 1st mov. of the Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto (performed in Orléans, Scène Nationale, Orch. d’Orléans, 10/12/1996).