Simone Fontanelli: Strings Of An Imaginary Theatre

All the works on this CD share a constant feature: the musical "gesture," which is at the origin of each piece.This "gesture" may appear in several ways. It may be brief and concise, as in the opening of ".a riveder le stelle," or more complex and extensive, as in the beginning of "Mosaico."In all cases, however, the "gesture" creates a "figure" and a "situation" that sets off a process of transformation.As in a theatrical scene, even a short one, the instrument is like a character who acts through this or that "gesture," expressing speech through articulated transforming figures. Just like a monologue or, in other cases, like a dialogue.A guitar, a violin, a harp, or a cello are not just musical instruments. They are "characters" with their own personality and a story to tell. Furthermore, each piece is a story where several situations occur and memories from the past return."Narration" is another basic element of my way of composing. It can take different routes, reaching different destinations. The last part of "Youth," written for harp, rediscovers the vague memory of a 70s song that I loved when I was a teenager. The end of ".a riveder le stelle" and "Mosaico" are concluding moments of a journey where many things had happened, and where now, looking back, we can understand the sense of them and the sense of the journey itself.At no point are the direction and the destination set at the beginning. They are "found" along the way, for what is important is the journey.Simone Fontanelli