Carnaval - Concerto Grosso for Woodwind and Accordion

Carnaval, Concerto Grosso for Winds and Accordions was commissioned in 2015 by the Noord Hollands Blazers Ensemble, under the direction of Lex Bak, and Accordeonensemble Alphen Opus 2, conducted by Hans Barten. The composition was inspired by a painting by Pieter Bruegel (1525-1569) 'The Battle between Carnival and Lent.' Display Parade, the first movement, examines the many aspects of the 'battle' between Carnival (represented by the wind ensemble) and Lent (accordion ensemble) in six variations of an introductory theme. Ludi depicts the games played by the characters in the center of the painting; Diaboli a baculi displays the movement of the crippled characters on crutches lower in the painting; Ite, missa est suggests the movement of the people going in and out of church; Ambulatio depicts the parade on the left side of the painting, with song and dance coming to life spontaneously; Exsequiae explores the inevitability of death, expressed in the lower right of the painting; and Sollennia presents the real struggle between Carnival (the fat man on the barrel) and Lent (the cowering nuns) in the lower center of the painting. Finally, a fugue structure returns to the original theme as if the listener, after examining specific parts of the painting, distances himself from the entire work. Farmer’s Wedding, the second movement explores the relationship between light and dark, the madness of carnival in juxtaposition with more serious rituals; and Elf, the final movement, expresses the celebration of Carnival; the merging and contrasting of small groups of people, with an almost chaotic atmosphere.John Franceschina, composer, has created scores for the National Shakespeare Company and the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Baltimore’s Center Stage, Washington’s Ford’s Theatre and the Arena Stage, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Florida Studio Theatre, Geva Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Papermill Playhouse, Music Theatre Works, and the Moscow Art Theatre, in addition to the Asolo State Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, where he acted as composer-in-residence from 1976 to 1993. His Fanfare for the Fiftieth was commissioned by Philippe Entremont for the fiftieth anniversary of the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra in 1985; his secular oratorio, Houtebeen, for male chorus, string orchestra and accordion ensemble, toured the Netherlands in 2014, and his opera, Scenes from the Jungle toured the Netherlands in 2019.