Cuarteto n° 1, Op. 53 “Trágico” (Quartet No. 1 “Tragic”)

I. Arrival of death

II. Elegiac cry

III. Dance of the spirits

This programmatic composition, commissioned by the clarinet quartet “VERT”, reflects on the idea of human suffering and pain in the face of death.

The work is divided into three parts. The diabolical Allegro of the first movement, entitled “Arrival of death”, presents and develops various thematic ideas loaded with great emotional force that capture the listener at once. This represents the moment when death comes to carry away the life forever.

This tragic end leads to a melancholic and pathetic “Elegiac Weeping”, the slow second movement which mourns the loss of life through deep sadness and darkness.

It is from there, where the melancholic and dark depth of emptiness reigns, that a devilish and neotonal fugue arises, anchored to a vibrant Allegro con brio, to create the “Dance of the spirits”. This is a last, frenetic and fantastical movement that narrates the story of the suffering which, according to Christianity, impure souls must pass in purgatory before they enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Cuarteto nº 1 “Trágico” I. – Youtube

Cuarteto nº 1 “Trágico” II. – Youtube

Cuarteto nº 1 “Trágico” III. – Youtube