Remembrance of a Beautiful Soul

Autor: Chris Acquavella

Para: Orquesta de plectro

Información: Libreto + partes ( (Mandolin 1 x 4 copias, Mandolin 2 x 4 copias, Mandola x 3 copias, Guitar x 3 copias, Bass x 1 copia, Narrator x1 copia )

Nivel: Intermedio

Movimientos:

1. The Sadness of Autumn
2. Remembrance
3. Serenade for Ali

Información: Remembrance of a Beautiful Soul is a 3 movement work for Mandolin Orchestra and was commissioned by the British BMG Federation for the 10 year anniversary of the passing of mandolinist Alison Stephens. This work is in three movements, I.The Sadness of Autumn, II.Remembrance and III.Serenade for Ali. Alison Stephens was a wonderful musician, teacher, composer and person. Each movement of this piece aims to help the audience remember her.
I.The Sadness of Autumn contains various musical quotes from Alison’s compositions. The title refers to the moment when Alison notified me that she had cancer. It also pays reference to a solo mandolin work by Alison titled, La Tristezza D’Inverno (The Sadness of Winter). This movement is a mixture of mellow, flowing phrases and heavy grooves.
II.Remembrance is a time to reflect on the life of Alison Stephens. I have incorporated a different mandolin technique called “drumming”, where the musician needs to tap the string with the side of the plectrum, instead of plucking the string. The effect is a shimmering sound scape. Above this atmosphere is a narrator reading a text, helping all to remember Alison.
​III. Serenade for Ali is the final movement with long, flowing tremolo phrases and sweet harmony. Originally composed as a solo mandolin piece for Alison in late 2006, after a phone call where she notified me that she had cancer. In Serenade for Ali, I wanted to focus on tremolo as Alison was known for having a beautifully musical tremolo technique. The orchestra will need a smooth and flowing tremolo that blends into one big instrument, paying close attention to the phrasing.
- Chris Acquavella, May 2019