Acqua nel riflesso

Programme notes

Initially conceived as a modest piece for piano four hands, Acqua nel riflesso (Water in Reflection) evolved—courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic—into a virtuosic composition for two pianos in a single movement. The work is structured into seven distinct sections, each marked by the sound of tubular bells. This practice, where sonic markers define structural divisions, is inspired by the colotomic principles Casteels encountered in Gamelan music.

The music played by the two pianos serves as a reflection of each other, building towards a massive, interwoven cadenza. The composition alternates between:

• Aquatic sections featuring a pre-recorded track of synthesized sounds.

• Sections of purely acoustic music.

Acqua nel riflesso contains discrete musical quotations, including fragments from Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau (Reflections in the Water). It also quotes Casteels’ own earlier work, The Irremediable (opus 37, 1999), a piece written for vibraphone, grand piano, Gamelan-tuned piano, and keyboard, with the last three instruments played by a single performer.

The composition incorporates two poems by the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti. Furthermore, elements of the piece are subject to real-time sound transformation during the performance.

Evolution of the compositional material

Page 1 and 2 of the foreword of the score entitled Acqua Nel Riflesso detail the evolution of the compositional material from Flamenco drafts to opus 132A to opus 132B to Sar(y)ang opus 134 to Acqua Nel Riflesso opus 136.

Structure

see page 3 of the foreword of the score entitled Acqua Nel Riflesso detail

Handwritten sketches and drafts

to be found in chapter XXXV(b) of the white cover, A3 size, 600 pages sketchbook and page 98 of the blue cover logbook #5 

Completion of the composition 

30-VI-2020 

Quote

"C'est une pièce quasi liturgique!" 

Marc Abensour