October 5 marks the world premiere in Venice of Claudio Ambrosini’s Rappresentazione di anima e corpo for soprano, bass clarinet and orchestra.


Rappresentazione di anima e corpo – a piece based on fragments from William Blake, Tantra and other cultures from around the world – makes its debut October 5 in Venice Biennale , performed by the Regional Orchestra of Tuscany, conducted by Peter Rundel. Featuring Françoise Kubler, soprano, and Armand Angster, bass clarinet. 

In this work, the composer takes his cue from the title of an 17th-century drama, pondering the « body » and « soul » of music, while avoiding conflict between the two.  Rather, he seeks a positive synthesis. Ambrosini writes:

“Body” can be the wood, or the metal of the clarinet; or the vocal cords (the body as flesh) […]
 “Soul/Soul” is the breath that passes through the body, life breath, which is transformed into sound, song, words… logos, pathos […]
In Rappresentazione the voice is born out of the wood of the clarinet being blown, often becoming one, at times indistinguishable […].

Rappresentazione di anima e corpo was commissioned by the Venice Biennale.

Foto: © Biennale di Venezia - G. Zucchiatti