In October, two major compositions for orchestra by Fabio Vacchi will be making their premieres: Concerto for Cello and the revised version of Concerto for Violin.
Both the solo concertos are commissions of Teatro Petruzzelli.

Vacchi’s Concerto for Cello will be performed on October 31 in Bari by the Teatro Petruzzelli Orchestra, conducted by John Axelrod. Featured soloist: Enrico Dindo.

Here are a few comments written by Fabio Vacchi for the evening’s program: 

Concerto for Cello contains just two sections, seamlessly connected. In terms of classical, the first section, Inquieto moderato, presents two strongly contrasting ideas. One is expressive and lyrical, the other is very quick and rhythmic. The uniform framework, which is true to my structuralist roots, is maintained […] thanks to uninterrupted metronomic variations. […] The second section, Presto, features ethnic material from the Serbian-Albanian tradition and the single-string gusle, which gradually becomes modified until it is metabolized in my writing. The second section is also marked by metronomic instability that produces continuous mutations. Special thanks go out to ethnomusicologist Nicola Scaldaferri for his help there. […]
I’ve always been in love with the cello. I find it to be a sensual, soft, profound instrument. Knowing it would be in the hands and mind of such an excellent player as Enrico Dindo, accompanied by an orchestra I really love, gave me complete freedom and the confidence to stay in touch with the rigor of my background and the need to convey emotions, sensations, affection, thoughts, associations.
[…]
My perspective has always been nourished by ethnic music. Most times, its influence is underlying, flowing deeply beneath the surface. But other times, as in the case of Concerto for Cello, it is brought more explicitly to the surface. In composing it, I felt a very strong calling from the earth and its voices. Because being open to cultural diversities without losing sight of your own specificity, your own roots, is the real challenge that can lead us out of the impasse that has proved so daunting today, in a world torn between the fear of losing one’s identity and the desire to accept, include, break out and mix things up. The laborious attainment and recognition of a turning point is not the fruit of static compromise. It is the result of the dynamic kind of compromise I learned from Amos Oz when we worked on Lo stesso mare (The Same Sea) for its premiere in Bari in 2011.




The performance of the revised edition of Concerto for Violin and orchestra is slated for October 12 in Budapest, featuring the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Balázs Kocsár, with soloist Nagao Haruka. The work will also be performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall on November 5 by the same interpreters.

The world premiere of Concerto for Violin took place in Bari on November 30, 2016.

Photo: Fulvia Farassino