Op. 1 – ANATOMY OF LIGHT (2025) — ca. 4′10″
Commissioned for the centennial concert series Puccini nel 100° della morte—co-production of the Brescia, Novara and Riva del Garda conservatories, Italy
Woodwind and piano duo · ca. 4′10″ · Single-movement
Op. 1a: alto saxophone (in E♭), piano
Op. 1b: clarinet (in B♭), piano
View score and parts (Op. 1a-b) · Listen (Op. 1a) · Discuss a performance
Programme note:
Anatomy of Light was composed as a tribute to Giacomo Puccini on the centenary of his death and premiered at the Bazzini Hall of the “L. Marenzio” Conservatory in Brescia, on 11 May 2024. This short, free-form work reflects on the relationship between musical legacy and the present, revisiting the style of early Puccini in an attempt to reconstruct the anatomy of a bygone aesthetic.
Though necessarily shaped by historical distance, this act of reconstruction yields a reward: it invites us to renew our engagement with Puccini’s voice through a process of presentification. The piece reenacts the lyrical voice—not through a singer, but via instrumental means—echoing the spirit of 19th-century chamber arias. The use of the saxophone—an instrument largely foreign to Puccini’s output—marks a deliberate departure from tradition. Yet it also gestures toward Turandot, where Puccini, in his late search for modern sounds and textures, included two alto saxophones. In this way, Anatomy of Light attempts to mirror the arc of Puccini’s own evolution: the romantic impulse reaching toward modernism, underscoring the fertile intergenerational dialogue that animates the most vital artistic traditions.
A brief yet pointed quote from Un bel dì vedremo concludes the piece, once again evoking that bygone era – and hinting, perhaps, at its return. The piece is also available in an alternative version for clarinet and piano.
Composition: Como/Brescia, 01–10 Apr 2024 (s. 1); Feb 2025 (s. 2) and Jul–Aug 2025 (s. 3); final authorial text completed 05 Aug 2025
Form/structure: single-movement
Performing-medium series: WOODWIND and PIANO DUO No. 1
Instrumentation:
– Op. 1a: ALTO SAXOPHONE (in E♭), PIANO
– Op. 1b: CLARINET (in B♭), PIANO
Note. Op. 1a and Op. 1b are alternative instrumentations with minor notational adaptations for practical performance; both reflect the same textual state.
Premiere:
– Op. 1a, 11 May 2024; Bazzini Hall, “L. Marenzio” Conservatory, Brescia; Francesca Fantini (alto saxophone), Alessandro Zanotti (piano). Puccini e Fauré nel 100° della morte – Spazio Marenzio 2023–24. [Institution] [Programme] [Poster] [Operabase – production entry]
Repeat performances: 16 May 2024, Auditorium F.lli Olivieri, “G. Cantelli” Conservatory, Novara. Itinerari contemporanei – Puccini e Fauré nel 100° della morte. [Institution]; 18 May 2024, Auditorium, “F. Bonporti” Conservatory, Riva del Garda (cf. recordings).
Textual history:
– s. 1 (Apr 2024): digital autograph, score and parts; premiere state – lost.
– s. 2 (Feb 2025): revised digital autograph in preparation for Zecchini Editore print; score only, with alto saxophone in transposed notation; post-premiere corrections integrated, engraving refinements, addition of Italian programme note.
– s. 3 (Aug 2025): revised digital autograph; score and parts; final variants Op. 1a-b established; score in concert pitch, identical for the alto saxophone (Op. 1a) and clarinet (Op. 1b) variants; parts in transposed notation; final authorial text.
Publications:
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Anatomy of light, poema per saxofono contralto e pianoforte. Score. In Trame pucciniane. Studi, documenti e ricerche artistiche, edited by Giovanni Botta and Federico Fornoni, 161–166. Quaderni del Cantelli, vol. 1. Varese: Zecchini Editore, Sep 2025. ISBN: 978-88-6540-450-8; grayscale scan of programme note and score available on IMSLP → Reflects s. 2
Note. In Trame pucciniane, the table of contents and programme note index the work as Anatomy of light, poema per saxofono contralto e pianoforte; the score title reads “Anatomy of Light, Op. 6”; “poema” appears in paratext only; Op. 6 reflects internal numbering prior to the renumbering adopted from 24 Mar 2025, cf. preface.
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Anatomy of Light, Op. 1a-b. Score and parts. Self-published edition, 23 Oct 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17423457; also available on IMSLP (internal ref. number IAC 2) → Reflects s. 3
Recordings:
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Anatomy of Light, Op. 1a. Live recording, 18 May 2024, “F. Bonporti” Conservatory auditorium, Riva del Garda; Francesca Fantini (alto saxophone), Alessandro Zanotti (piano). Self-published, 06 Nov 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17524014; also uploaded to YouTube (06 Aug 2025) → Reflects s. 1
Reception and press coverage:
– QuiBrescia. Centenario di Giacomo Puccini e di Gabriel Fauré: concerto alla Sala Bazzini del Conservatorio, 09 May 2024 [Press – preview]
Curated databases:
– BDCI (database of Italian composers), CIDIM: Anatomy of Light
– Il Saxofono Italiano (database of saxophone works by Italian composers): Anatomy of Light
Rights: © 2025 Alexandre Casaccia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Score preview (Op. 1a-b):