Op. 9 – LARIO (2027) — ca. 15′
Written in tribute to Marco Enrico Bossi on the 100th anniversary of his death
Symphonic poem · ca. 15′ · Six movements
3[1.2.pic] 3[1.2.Eh] 3[1.2.bcl] 3[1.2.cbn] – 4 2 2 1 – tmp+2 – hp, cel – str
Programme note:
Lario, for full symphony orchestra, was composed in tribute to composer Marco Enrico Bossi (1861–1925) on the centenary of his death. The six-movement suite offers a colorful evocation of the landscapes and atmospheres of Lake Como—a setting dear to Bossi, who, in the peace of his home in Breccia, composed for the last forty years of his life.
At times lyrical and intimate, but often direct and ironic, the writing draws on chamber music techniques, avoiding any expressionistic excess while seeking—beyond descriptive elements—a lightness of tone and instrumentation. Lario is organized as a sequence of contrasting moods—ranging from the mysterious contemplation of the lake’s stillness to playful scenes of rural life—each interconnected by a dense mosaic of recurring fixed ideas: a kind of formal pointillism that avoids obvious developmental relationships but asserts instead, through its omnipresence, the interpenetration of each individual element.
As the composer put it, “each of its parts is a distorted reflection of the whole”: a play of reflections that finds its fullest allegory in the mirror-like surface of Lake Lario.
Composition: Como, 01–21 Dec 2024 (short score); 19 Feb–04 Mar 2025 (orchestration, s. 1); Feb 2027 (re-orchestration, s. 2); final authorial text completed 28 Feb 2027
Form/structure: 6-movement cycle — I. Prelude; II. Serenade; III. Scherzo; IV. Adagio; V. Dance; VI. Finale
Performing-medium series: SYMPHONIC POEM No. 1
Instrumentation:
1 PICCOLO, 2 FLUTES, 2 OBOES, 1 ENGLISH HORN, 2 CLARINETS (in B♭), 1 BASS CLARINET, 2 BASSOONS, 1 CONTRABASSOON, 4 HORNS, 2 TRUMPETS, 2 TROMBONES, 1 TUBA, TIMPANI, PERCUSSION (2 pl.), 1 HARP, 1 CELESTA, VIOLINS I & II, VIOLAS, CELLOS, DOUBLE BASSES
Textual history:
– s. 1 (Mar 2025): digital autograph; score only, in concert pitch; composition exam state; conservatory retained no archival copy; catalogued as Op. 12 prior to the renumbering adopted from 24 Mar 2025; subsequently overwritten by s. 2 – now lost.
– s. 2 (Feb 2027): revised digital autograph; score and parts; reorchestration, with contrapuntal adjustments and editorial/engraving consolidation; score and parts in transposed notation, where applicable; final authorial text.
Publications:
– Casaccia, Alexandre. Lario, Op. 9. Score and parts. Self-published edition, 28 Feb 2027. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17981297 → Reflects s. 2
Rights: © 2027 Alexandre Casaccia. All rights reserved.