Vito Palumbo: Woven Lights Francesco D'Orazio

• Vito Palumbo (b. 1972): Violin Concerto:
• 1 Palumbo: Violin Concerto 30:45
• Chaconne:
• 2 Palumbo: Chaconne: I. Woven Lights 18:18
• 3 Palumbo: Chaconne: II. The Glows in the Dark 08:16
• Total Runtime 57:19

Info for Vito Palumbo: Woven Lights

The critically acclaimed Italian composer Vito Palumbo has had works performed all over the world by leading orchestras. He began his career with postmodern experimentation, going on to different forms of music theatre. In recent years Palumbo has focused on works for full orchestra, exploring the possibilities of colours and textures - sometimes with the help of electronics - and putting the concept of ‘historical memory’ at the centre of his own composing.

With echoes seemingly coming from Alban Berg’s violin concerto, Palumbo’s own Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2015) displays bittersweet lyricism. Characterized by a dramatic language and driven by a strong and varied rhythmic impulse, the single-movement work also offers transitional moments of static beauty typical of the composer’s usual finesse in the scoring. With its title echoing the past, Chaconne for 5-string electric violin and electronics (2019-20) highlights the different ways in which the electronics intertwine with the live electric violin, within a conception animated by a strong theatrical sense, like a script for a play that does not reject emotional gestures. About this work, the composer has remarked ‘I want the meaning of my music to be apparent from listening, without the need for verbal justification.’ Both works are championed by the violinist Francesco D’Orazio, a close collaborator of the composer and the dedicatee of the Chaconne.

Francesco Abbrescia, electronics
Vito Palumbo, electronics
Francesco D'Orazio, violin, electric violin
London Symphony Orchestra
Lee Reynolds, conductor

Francesco D'Orazio
was born in Bari and was taught violin and viola by his father. Later he studied with Denes Zsigmondy at the Salzburg Mozarteum and Yair Kless at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv.

In 2010, the Italian National Music Critics Association awarded Francesco with the Premio Abbiati as "Best Soloist" of the year.

As soloist Mr. D'Orazio has performed in concerts in all Europe, North and South America, Mexico, Australia, China and Japan. He has recorded for Decca, Hyperion, Opus 111/Naive, Stradivarius and Amadeus.

Mr. D'Orazio has performed at such major concert venues as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Berliner Philarmonie, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, New York University, the South Bank Center in London, the Centre de la Musique Baroque in Versailles, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, Buenos Aires, Instanbul, MiTo, Montpellier, Potsdam, Ravenna, Ravello, Urbino, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Stresa, Tanglewood, Venice Biennale.

Mr. D'Orazio's large repertoire includes works from early music, as violinist in the original instrument ensemble L'Astrée of Turin, to classic, romantic and contemporary music. Indeed, he is a favourite of many composers: he premiered violin and orchestra works by the composers Terry Riley, Brett Dean, Ivan Fedele, Michael Nyman, Michele dall'Ongaro, Vito Palumbo, Maury Buchala, Marcello Panni, Fabio Vacchi, Gilberto Bosco, Marco Betta, Fabian Panisello and Valerio Sannicandro and also many chamber works. Luis De Pablo wrote for D'Orazio his last violin work, "Per Violino". For many years he worked with Luciano Berio, whose Divertimento for string trio he premiered at the Festival of Strasbourg, performing Sequenza VIII at the Festivals of Salzbourg and Tanglewood and Corale for violin and orchestra at the Citè de la Musique in Paris and the Auditorium Nacional de Musica in Madrid conducted by the composer.

Mr D'Orazio has performed the UK premiere of "Electric Preludes" for electric 6 strings violin and orchestra by the Australian composer Brett Dean at the Proms in London and the Italian premiere of the violin concertos by John Adams ("The Dharma at Big Sur" for electric 6 strings violin), Kaija Saariaho, Unsuk Chin, Luis De Pablo, Michael Daugherty, Aaron jay Kernis and Michael Nyman (Violin Concerto n.1).

Mr. D'Orazio has concertized with the London Symphony, Teatro alla Scala Philarmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orchestre National Il de France, the Shangai Philarmonic, the Berliner Symphoniker, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philarmonic, the Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Comunale Orchestra in Bologna, the Saarlandischer Rundfunk, the Timishoara Philharmonic, the Teatro Petruzzelli Symphony Orchestra, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, the Accademia Bizantina, the Academia Montis Regalis, Plural Ensemble in Madrid, Ensemble Court-Circuite in Paris, the Reina Sofia Chamber Orchestra of Madrid conducted by Lorin Maazel, Hubert Soudant, Pascal Rophé, Luciano Berio, Ingo Metzmacher, Sakari Oramo, Steven Mercurio, Daniel Kawka, Zuohang Chen, Aaron Jay Kernis, Ottavio Dantone, Arturo Tamayo and Hansjorg Schellenberger.

Mr D'Orazio plays a violin by Giuseppe Guarneri, "Comte de Cabriac", Cremona 1711 and a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume made in Paris in 1863.

Booklet for Vito Palumbo: Woven Lights