sopra la notte
stage action for "a cappella" ensemble
by luigi esposito
In this piece, Sopra la Notte (On the night), Luigi Esposito showcases his complete mastery of vocal expression, skillfully crafting individual voices and exploring harmonious timbral blends that consistently support the narrative.
The originality of the stage presentation stems from the precise directions the composer has embedded throughout the score, coupled with the expressive freedom that the unique notation grants to the performer.
Detail of the pictographic score "On the night" by Luigi Esposito
Luigi Esposito
Sopra la notte (On the night)
Stage representation for "a Cappella" ensemble
in Four scenes and Eight moments
for contralto, two sopranos, two tenors, two basses
AURORA
ACT
ABANDONMENT
OUTCOME
SCHOLA ROMANA ENSEMBLE
Stefano Sabene, conductor
Luigi Esposito, stage director
The score Sopra la notte by Luigi Esposito, specifically dedicated to the Schola Romana Ensemble, is crafted in pictography, a distinctive form of musical notation that merges visual art and music. This approach to writing borders on aleatory techniques, yet in this work, it successfully evokes a contrapuntal dimension deeply rooted in Renaissance polyphony.
It is no coincidence that Esposito was first a student and later a collaborator of Sylvano Bussotti, the brilliant composer who pioneered pictography, recognizing its full potential. This notation technique excels at unleashing the performer's creativity during the performance.
The text presented by Luigi Esposito is by Giovanni Strozzi and refers both to "Night," one of the four sculptures created by Michelangelo in Florence for the tomb of Giuliano de' Medici, and metaphorically, to sculpture itself which, unlike humans, is protected from the world's sorrows in its eternal slumber.
Sopra la notte is a work of strong theatrical impact, characterized by the alternation and overlapping of contrasting expressive moments, from meditation to anger, and from marble-like stillness to the most unrestrained dynamism.