Giancarlo Simonacci: li ‘ntinni d’argentu, Chamber Music (1981- 2022)

Description

Adagio for Cello
Composed in 1996, Adagio is dedicated to my son Marco. This brief piece explores the cantabile possibilities of the cello, while offering Marco an opportunity to engage with a musical dimension different from the usual repertoire he was immersed in during those years.

Maelos 2 for Flute and Live Electronic
Composed in 1981, Maelos 2 for flute originates from an earlier project undertaken in 1980: a piece for female voice, winds, and organ based on a fragment of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, which was left unfinished.
The following year, the material was reworked into this new composition, whose title, Maelos 2, is an anagram of Salomé. The performer has the possibility to intervene at designated points, inserting fragments of their choice from among various pre-composed musical nuclei, thus personalizing the musical discourse to a degree.
In 2011, during the Emufest Festival in Rome, Tommaso Cancellieri enriched the piece with electronic elements, breathing new life into its original texture.

Ispidi dumi for Violin
Composed in 1991 and dedicated to my son David, Ispidi dumi draws inspiration from a passage in Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso. The title reflects a musical narrative aimed at exploring emotional depth.

Mia cruda sorte for Piano
On August 24, 2022, I performed at the Bari Piano Festival, and the following evening, I attended a concert by my friend Filippo Gamba. His performance was remarkable, as Filippo is a sensitive and intelligent interpreter.
At the end of the concert, I expressed my desire to write a piece for him, which I completed on September 16 of the same year.
The piece consists of six variations inspired by the famous aria Lascia ch’io pianga – mia cruda sorte by Handel. In some variations, the original melody is prominent, though enveloped in nebulous harmonic textures, while in others, it is more obscured, yet its nostalgic intensity remains palpable.

Variante terza for Clarinet and Piano
Composed in 1987, Variante terza is part of a series of pieces written during that period that share the same foundational musical material. It is a dialogue between the clarinet and piano, where the intense lyricism of the clarinet intertwines with the piano’s rich timbral palette.

Quattro miniature for Cello and Piano
In 2000, to mark the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s death, I wrote Cinque piccole offerte musicali for piano, inspired by the Sarabande in C minor from Bach’s Fifth Cello Suite.
In 2021, the Anna Rosa Taddei Association in Rome commissioned me to compose a piece for the annual competition dedicated to Duos (violin and piano, cello and piano, or voice and piano). Given the limited time available, I decided to rework four of the five moments from the earlier composition, transforming them into the Quattro miniature. Originally conceived for solo piano, these pieces take on a new life in this chamber music arrangement.

Duo for Violin and Piano
Completed on July 21, 2014, Duo for violin and piano emerged from an exploration of chords found in ONE2 for 1–4 pianos by John Cage. The composition is divided into four sections, each marked by specific metronome indications, and performed without interruptions, except for indicated breaths.
The sections can be described as follows: 1st Andantino, 2nd Adagio, 3rd Allegro, 4th Vivace, preceded by a brief Largo.

Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano
Composed in 2000 and dedicated to the memory of my parents, Emilia and Fernando, who both passed away in 1999, the Trio explores a subtle exchange of echoes and dialogues between the three instruments. These interactions, whether in pairs or as a trio, overlap and intertwine, evoking a range of emotional states: contemplative calm, ironic nuances, and sudden tensions.
Is it a snapshot of life? A family portrait? Perhaps.

Duci paroli for String Quartet
Composed in 2015, Duci paroli is based on an ancient Sicilian melody, which, though fragmented into a contrapuntal interplay between the four voices, retains its archaic and reassuring character. The various segmentations amplify its intimate and delicate nature. The abrupt conclusion envelops the piece in a dramatic silence.

“… l’arvuli d’oru e li ‘ntinni d’argentu!…”
[… the golden trees and the silver spires!] Giancarlo Simonacci

Acknowledgments
I extend my deepest gratitude to the musicians who generously contributed to this musical journey: Arianna, Filippo, Achille, Manfred, Tommaso, Roberto, Francesco, and Dario.
A special thanks goes to my wife Gabriella and our sons, David and Marco, for their patience in “enduring” my compositional path over the years and for enriching the realization of my works through their performances.

Giancarlo Simonacci
Giancarlo Simonacci, pianist and composer, was born in Rome, where he studied music at the Conservatoire “Santa Cecilia”. He then took advanced courses in composition with Aldo Clementi and piano with Carlo Zecchi at the Mozarteun in Salzburg. He is active as a piano soloist and play regularly in a piano duo with Gabriella Morelli, also performing frequently with singers and other instrumentalists.
As a composer and performer he takes part in the foremost international festivals and concert series.
His compositions have been published by BMG Ricordi, Edipan, Rugginenti, Da Vinci Edition, and Accord for Music, and he also recorded for RAI (the official Italian television and radio network), Discoteca di Stato Italiana, Radio Vaticana and ORF (Austria).
Da Vinci Classics has produced a CD, interpreters, by Francesco Negro and Francesco Carletti,dedicated to his piano works.
He has made recordings for CRI, Edipan, Fonotipia, RCA, Domanimusica, Mr.Classics, Irtem, AFM, Atopos and Twilightmusic.
Particularly noteworthy are his recordings of the music of John Cage, for Brilliant Classics, whitch were well received by the press both in Italy (Messaggero, Musica, La Repubblica, La Gazzetta di Parma, La Stampa, Suonare News, Amadeus, Classic Voice etc.) and abroad (ABC, Magazine Klassics, Piano, Le Monde de la Musique, Diapason, Scherzo, BBC Music Magazine, Los Angeles Times etc.)
For Brilliant Classics he has recorded the complete piano works of Ildebrando Pizzetti and complete works for cello and piano of Morton Feldman with his son Marco and a CD with works of Giulio Ricordi for 4 hands piano (duo G. Morelli – G. Simonacci)For Da Vinci Classics he has recorded the piano works of Stefano Golinelli, Erik Satie, Federico Mompou, 19th – Century Italian Music for piano 4 hands – ,Franz Liszt, American piano Landscape and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach For over 40 years Giancarlo, has taught piano at the Sassari, Frosinone and Rome Conservatories.
He has also given numerous masterclasses, seminars and conferences in Italy, Spain and Austria.