Orrori Moderni - Sonata for Piano and Intonarumore (2024)

Orrori Moderni is a Sonata for Intonarumore and Piano. The sonata is a three-movement work inspired by the Italian art movement of the 1910s and 1920s known as futurism. The work features an intonarumore, or noise-intoner, which is an instrument invented by Italian painter and member of the Milanese futurist group, Luigi Russolo. The intonarumore is a simple instrument operated by a crank to produce the sound and a lever to affect pitch. This work carries on with the instruments’ original purpose of sounding like machinery, factories, and vehicles, however with a distinct horror premise. The first movement 0:00, titled Distant Plane, tells the story of a victim of war. Inspired by the 1985 soviet film Come and See, in which the main character is initially haunted by a circling German bomber, the intonarumore represents an approaching plane on a bombing run. The music’s intensity represents the fear felt by people on the ground as bombs explode all around them. The unexpected death of someone is represented by the music suddenly stopping. The second movement 2:35, titled Factory Process, tells the fantasy horror story of a person, represented by the piano, slowly losing their humanity and becoming one with a factory’s punishing conditions. With each passing section the piano part loses more individuality and independence, until the final section in which the piano matches the intonarumore’s movements exactly. The third and final movement 5:29, titled “Deforestarian,” tells the story of a worker cutting down the Earths’ last forest. As he cuts down the last tree, he realizes the significance and is sad, but not out of remorse. The worker is sad because the work he came to love can no longer be done. The made-up word, “deforestarian,” means one who believes in or advocates for deforestation. Inquire about commissions and composition lessons: [email protected]