Composer

:

Luciano Berio

Genre

:

Choral

Style

:

Choral

Compose Date

:

1975 - 1977

Average_duration

:

57:50

Coro is a choral work composed by Italian composer Luciano Berio in 1976. The piece was commissioned by the West German Radio and premiered in Cologne on October 9, 1976, with the RIAS Kammerchor and the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Berio himself. The work is divided into eleven movements, each with its own distinct character and musical language. The movements are titled "Preghiera," "Alleluja," "L'escalier du diable," "La barchessa di Villa Simonetta," "Inferno I," "Inferno II," "Inferno III," "Inferno IV," "Inferno V," "Inferno VI," and "Canto finale." The piece is scored for a large ensemble, including a choir, soloists, and a variety of instruments such as flutes, clarinets, horns, trumpets, trombones, percussion, harp, piano, and strings. The choir is an integral part of the work, with the soloists often singing in dialogue with the choir. Berio's use of text is a prominent feature of the work. The text is drawn from a variety of sources, including Dante's Divine Comedy, folk songs from various cultures, and contemporary poetry. The text is often fragmented and layered, with multiple voices singing different texts simultaneously. The musical language of Coro is highly complex and varied, with Berio drawing on a wide range of styles and techniques. The work incorporates elements of serialism, aleatory music, and electronic music, as well as traditional choral and orchestral writing. Overall, Coro is a highly ambitious and challenging work that showcases Berio's mastery of a wide range of musical styles and techniques. Its complex and layered textures, combined with its use of diverse texts and musical languages, make it a landmark work in the choral repertoire.

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