Tu scendi dalle Stelle

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For Solo Trumpet* and Strings

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Duration: 4 mins 20 secs approx.

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Composer's Note

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My short piece, Tu scendi dalle stelle for solo trumpet and strings is a fantasia on a carol of the same name composed by the Neapolitan bishop, Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori in 1732. Also known as the “Carol of the Bagpipers”, Liguori's carol was originally written for the zampogna (bagpipes associated with the South of Italy) and my piece looks to reflect this with its use of drones and bucolic harmonies. I was also keen to allude to the Baroque era from which the carol originates, through the use of ornate, florid writing for the solo trumpet, and imitative, contrapuntal textures in the strings.

 

Tu scendi dalle stelle was commissioned and premiered by the London Mozart Players with trumpeter Paul Archibald as the soloist.

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*An alternative version of this work for solo violin and strings was premiered by violinist Hugo Ranilla de Castro and the ORFEO Kamer Orkest in the Basilica of the Lady of Lourdes in Edegem in December 2019.

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Click HERE to watch a video of Hugo Ranilla de Castro and the ORFEO Kamer Orkest performing this work.