ALFONSO PEDUTO
COMPOSER, PIANIST. CLASSICALLY TRAINED, BREAKING BOUNDARIES
ABOUT
Classically trained in composition and piano performance, Alfonso’s post-genre approach to music-making aims to defy categorical classification, bringing together idioms from American minimalism, European classical traditions, together with reminiscences of popular genres. With a prolific catalog comprising over a hundred pieces, ranging from solo, chamber and orchestral, the main focus of his output has been on creating music for solo piano and for multiple pianos.
After an early exploration of classical forms (Beginnings, Vol. I and II, released in 2011 and 2013), his active interest in mathematics informed a new direction rooted in minimalism from 2014. His research, stemming from the idea of applying selected mathematical devices to the music-compositional process, lead him to the production of a 150-minutes three-collection trilogy for multiple pianos: Images (2015), Sequences (2016) and To The Lost Ones (2016)
This new direction, based on the repetition and layering of many short motivic ideas (at times with the aid of a looping station), sparked a wide variety of subsequent projects: a symphonic poem, new music for choir, a multi-year long series of pieces for piano and multiple hands named This Is Not a Piano (Volume I, 2018; Volume II, 2019), an album for keyboard ensemble Spaces (2018) and the 3-hour trilogy of compositions for solo piano Nachtmusik (2017), Wintermusik (2019) and Stillemusik (2021).
Alfonso’s music has been performed in the US and Europe, and has appeared in collaborations and productions by the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet, the dance duo Salvitto-Francese at the Uffizi Gallery (Florence) and at the Florence Dance Festival; performances by the William Jewell College Choir, the classical piano duo Fortin-Poirier (Canada), and pianist Hanyi Meng; Alfonso was also featured in an exclusive collaboration with Google (ATAP) in 2020.
Since 2021 he has been experimenting with a Yamaha Disklavier to adapt his multiple piano works to be performed in a solo setting, as well as developing new modes of real-time interactivity and their ensuing new compositional paradigms.
Alfonso holds Bachelor’s in Classical Composition and in Music Technology from Berklee College of Music, Master's degree in Classical Composition from New England Conservatory, and Bachelor’s in Physics and in Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley.
CATALOGUE
2023
Binary Data, Vol. 2
for piano and real-time delays / for Disklavier piano / for multiple-pianos, 38 min
Binary Data IX
Binary Data X
Binary Data XI
Binary Data XII
Binary Data XIII
Binary Data XIV
Binary Data XV
Binary Data XVI
Binary Data XVII
Binary Data XVIII
Devil’s Dance
for solo piano, 28min
dedicated to Simeon Ten Holt, in memoriam
Preludes Noirs
for solo piano, 45min
Prelude Noir I
Prelude Noir II
Prelude Noir III
Prelude Noir IV
Prelude Noir V
Prelude Noir VI
Prelude Noir VII
Prelude Noir VIII
About
Written between late 2021 and early 2023, Preludes Noires is set of eight (‘black’) preludes for solo piano, designed to be the concert cousins to the Etudes Noires. Whilst the latter are focused on virtuosistic and rhythmic complexity, these preludes, reminiscent of the pieces from the ‘Nacht’ trilogy, are focused on musical processes and melodic invention, with particular aim given to communicate emotionally. To be released in Spring 2023.
2022
Strangeland
for multiple pianos and digital delays, 35min
in 8 movements
About
Music for the original ballet by choreographer Price Suddarth, in 8 movements. Commissioned by the Milwaukee Ballet.
Binary Data, Vol. 1
for piano and real-time delays / for Disklavier piano / for multiple-pianos, 38 min
Binary Data I
Binary Data II
Binary Data III
Binary Data IV
Binary Data V
Binary Data VI
Binary Data VII
Binary Data VIII
About
Binary Data is a new series of pieces written for real-time physical delays. The possibilities brought about the Yamaha Disklavier allows for single or multiple notes delays being actuated by the piano in real-time. This technical advancement in piano playing possibilities has allowed for a new line of research of how to write for such technique. Every piece of this collection uses a real-time delay as the main compositional tool to create new musical narratives.
A Piano Requiem
for multiple pianos, 36min
in 13 parts
About
Commissioned by Warner-Chapell music production (part of Warner Music Group), a 13-part suite for multiple pianos exclusively available through their catalog.
Aftermath
for piano 4 hands or two pianos, 19 min
Aftermath I
Aftermath II
Aftermath III
Aftermath IV
Aftermath V
About
Commissioned as a world-premiere dance piece, the musical world of Aftermath is modeled after the ‘five stages of grief’. The procedural compositional techniques of my works for multiple pianos are taken as the foundational building blocks of the musical discourse, yet here purely in service of the main motivic material, aimed to transport the listener into a five-part emotive journey.
2021
This Is Not a Piano, Vol. 3
for multiple pianos, 42min
I. 21 Hands II
II. 17 Hands II
III. 12 Hands II
IV. 19 Hands II
V. 14 Hands II
VI. 20 Hands II
VII. 11 Hands II
VIII. 7 Hands II
About
The third volume of This Is Not a Piano continues in the aim of establishing repertoire for multiple hands. Similarly to the logical paradigm adopted in the first two volumes, each piece of the collection is named after the number of hands to be employed in the performance. The third volume aims to further expand in the scope of the forms, establishing new relationships among the procedural motivic and rhythmic developments of the material presented in the compositions.
Etudes Noires
for solo piano, 18 min
Etude Noire I
Etude Noire II
Etude Noire III
Etude Noire IV
Etude Noire V
Etude Noire VI
About
A set of virtuosic etudes for solo piano inspired focused on rhythmic complexity and dexterity. Following the etude form, each study has been composed both as a way to improve the pianist’s technique and as a virtuoso concert piece.
Stillemusik
for solo piano, 75min
I. On Stillness
II. Ascension
III. Interlude
IV. Variations
V. Waking
VI. Departures
VII. A memoir
VIII. Descent
IX. Us
X. Restless
XI. Meditations
XII. Epilogue
About
Stillemusik aims to stand as a third chapter of the musical research commenced with Nachtmusik (2017), and further continued with Wintermusik (2019). In this new collection, procedural ideas are, once more, taken as the main focal point of the musical discourse, both in service of motivic narratives, but also here explored in their own right. Selected processes and short motivic incipits are distantly echoed from the two previous collections, yet transformed to form new pieces, each striving to establish its own unique identity and independence.
With regard to its aesthetic intent, Stillemusik is an ode to silence, taken both literally and figuratively, as a period of emotional quietude and of its ensuing ontological states. The collection commences with a meditation on stillness (On Stillness) and ends exploring the inherent stillness of meditations themselves (Meditations). It ventures to explore the moment of quietude of a journey’s departures (Departures) and the one that the self experiences each day upon waking (Waking). It explores the rising and falling of the self (Ascension, Descent), the stillness of a meaningful union (Us), and of, at times hidden, inner emotional turmoils (Restless). The collection is then ornamented with a short In- terlude and a set of etude-like motivic variations (Variations): as a last statement, an Epilogue aims to conclude the overall trilogy.
2020
Dante’s Descent
for String Orchestra, 29min
I. Opening
II. Beatrice
III. Through the Gates
IV. Wrath
V. The Lovers
VI. Ulysses
VII. Through the Hollow
VIII. Closing
About
A musical depiction of Dante’s Inferno in eight parts.
1945
for String Orchestra, 17min
I. Stalingrad
II. Bataan
III. Nagasaki
About
Taking its name after a seminal year of 20th century history, 1945 is written as an in-memoriam opus to the Second World War. Each piece is written and dedicated after one of its history-defining events: the battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Bataan and the bombing of Nagasaki, respectively. The work, written between January and February 2020, aims at portraying at once gravitas and urgency, stillness and bewilderment, grievance and bravery.
Dialogues Before a Goodbye
SSAATTBB Choir, 16 min (2016-2020)
I. Soft Glance (2016)
II. Suddenly Here (2019)
III. Just Your Eyes (2020)
About
Dialogues is a meditation to the concept of loss. The three pieces of the collection are meant to enact the moment of parting between two souls, with each voice portraying a unique dialogue experienced before the disunion attempting to shine light to a different set of contrasting emotive qualities. Each one of the three pieces is furhtermore focused principally on a single emotional motif: grief, the first, acceptance, the second, and melancholy, the last. Soft Glance was fully written in 2016: minimal sketches of Suddenly Here and Just Your Eyes were compiled then, then fully developed between December 2019 and January 2020.
2019
Wintermusik
for solo piano, 42 min
I. Reverie
II. Reflections
III. Astray
IV. On Solitude
V. Rising
VI. Dusk
VII. Phases
VIII. On Silence
About
Wintermusik is an ode to winter, conceived both literally, as a time-in-place, and figuratively, as a moment of stillness in an individual’s life. Each one of the eight pieces is thus intended to explore a literal or figurative realm related to it. Wintermusik has been written to be a natural continuation of the solo language established with Nachtmusik: the two sets of works are thus meant to be gentle musical companions. In a concert setting the pieces can collectively be presented jointly in a selective manner or, even, in their entirety. This project was originally conceived in the winter of 2018, and later closely worked through between August and October 2019.
This Is Not a Piano, Volume 2
for 5-12 pianos, 42 min
I. 19 Hands
II. 20 Hands
III. 17 Hands
IV. 7 Hands
V. 16 Hands
VI. 23 Hands
VII. 14 Hands
VIII. 5 Hands
IX. 15 Hands
About
The second volume of This Is Not a Piano continues in the quest of systematically establishing repertoire for multiple hands. Similarly to the logical paradigm adopted in the first volume, each piece of the collection is named after the number of hands to be employed in the performance. The second volume expands in scope in terms of forms utilized and their developments, while attempting to furthering the extent of melodic developments and the associated contrapuntal aims of the compositions.
2018
Spaces
for mixed keyboard ensemble, 58min
I. Haze
II. Luminance
III. Daydream I
IV. Flow
V. Daydream II
VI. Twilight
VII. Wake
About
Spaces deals with the creation of seven unique emotive and auditory spaces. The same language developed for multiple pianos is here employed in a mixed keyboard ensemble, aimed at creating a hybrid combination of acoustic and synthesized sounds. Each one of the seven ‘spaces’ is given a name, illustrating the figurative intent of the composition. Different renditions of Spaces are possible depending on the choices of the instruments employed: a studio recording utilizing a collection of classic synthesizers was carried through in the summer of 2018.
This Is Not a Piano, Volume 1
for 6-11 pianos, 36 min
I. 22 Hands
II. 21 Hands
III. 18 Hands
IV. 11 Hands
V. 12 Hands
VI. 27 Hands
About
This Is Not a Piano is a multi-year long collection aimed at systematically establishing new repertoire for multiple hands. Each composition named after the number of hands employed in a performance and, within each piece, they are introduced sequentially in a gradual musical process. In this regard This Is no a Piano is similar to the work presented in Images and Sequences, as it uses similar compositional techniques. This new collection differs from them as it was given a more focused approach on simplifying forms, reducing the total number of musical processes introduced in each piece and in placing a more substantial emphasis on melodic developments.
2017
Nachtmusik
for solo piano, 72min
I. Stay
II. In Quietude
III. Longing
IV. Clockwork
V. Dawn
VI. In Vain
VII. Breathless
VIII. Softly
IX. Falling
X. In Perpetuity
XI. Haste
XII. You
About
Nachtmusik has come into existence as the result of two converging interests, one concerned to technical aspects of the music-compositional process, the other related to an artistic aim of expression. With respect to the former, they originate from the interest to apply a new-found language initially developed for multiple-pianos, to a single solo instrument. It became evident that part of the devices initially developed in the compositional stages of Images, To The Lost Ones and, in particular, Sequences, could be adopted to solo writing: well-defined processes, instead of being utilized in an additive manner for multiple instruments, could instead be adopted singularly, and stand as the backbone of a single musical thought. Linear transformations to each singular process, both melodic and harmonic, can thus become the single source of musical variations for each piece instead of added elements of contrapuntal complexity. With regards to the artistic aim of the works, Nachtmusik is free and personal way to explore the archetypal figure of the night, a common figure explored in western musical (and non-musical) literature. The night is explored wholly in its inherent poetic characterization (In Quietude, Clockwork, Dawn), to its relationships to the the human dimension with regards to our interconnectedness (Stay, You), to emotions of want (Longing) and despair (Falling), of helplessness (In Vain, In Perpetuity) and care (Softly), of urgency and worry (Breathless, Haste). Overall, each piece intends to be a self-contained meditation on the described subject.
2016
To The Lost Ones
for multiple pianos, 24min
I. To The Lost Souls
II. To The Lost Minds
III. To The Lost Hearts
About
To the Lost Ones stands as a 24 minutes meditation on a single note divided in three movements. The new language for multiple pianos developed in the preceding years is here taken further on a new dimension of exploration: while Images was a collection of adagios for multiple pianos, and Sequences was a mathematical systematization of the new methods, To The Lost Ones is an exploration of large forms. The work, constructed additively starting of a continuously repeated middle G, repeated throughout the whole piece, is a solemn introspection dedicated to all lost souls, mind and hearts.
Sequences
for multiple pianos, 52min
I. Waves (1 piano)
II. Pulses (2 pianos)
III. Echoes (3 pianos)
IV. Voids (4 pianos)
V. Vertices (5 pianos)
VI. Variances (6 pianos)
About
Sequences is a collection of six pieces for multiple pianos that deals with well-defined musical processes. The term that names the collection is borrowed from mathematics and applies to the collection both in terms of the instrumentation paradigm adopted and of the music-compositional process. With the regard to the former, the numerical placing of the piece in the collection determines the number of pianos employed (the first piece for one piano, the second for two and so on). With regard to the latter, a select number of mathematical sequences were used as the starting point of the music-generative processes - with mathematical sequences used to determine pitch choices and rhythmical elements, and governing the stepwise additive layering of the voices. In particular, each piece deals with a single well-defined process, stated in the opening measures of each compositions: transformations regarding symmetry of constituents and their relative rhythmical and harmonic placement are applied in a more free manner. The collection was designed to be played in its entirety in a concert setting, with each pianist entering the stage sequentially as the performance proceeds.
Symphonic Poem: Blue
for symphony Orchestra 8 min
About
A symphonic poem on the color blue, the first one of three planned works, a reflection on serenity, stillness and quietude. The work deals with a series of ostinatos and repetitive structures, and circles through distinct harmonic and sonic spaces, aimed to let the listeners serenely be left to wonder through them, as if in above the clouds.
Oceano Mare
for piano and 7 strings, 18 min
adapted for piano quartet and looping station
About
Oceano Mare borrows the name from a famous work by Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco, to whom the work is dedicated to. The music, centered around the figure of the ocean and the mysteries it bears, deals with figurative ripples, musically adapted in both the string instruments and the piano, which build on top of each other. The music builds procedurally and solemnly in three sections. It was adapted either in small 7 strings ensemble or with a smaller 4-piece ensemble via employment of realtime looping in a concert situation
2015
Images
for multiple pianos, 45min
I. Endlessly
II. Whisper not
III. Alone
IV. Empty rooms
V. Before sunrise
VI. Waiting
VII. Still
VIII. What remains
About
Images is a set of eight adagios for multiple pianos: music is built procedurally, with each voice introduced sequentially. It is the first completed set for multiple pianos that established a new language and style, building on top of the studies previously made with Sequence/Loop. The expressive aim of the work is rooted in providing musical ‘images’ to the following sentence: “Endlessly whisper not, alone, in these empty rooms. Before sunrise, let us stand waiting, still, for what remains”. Each line is assigned to a different composition, thus with each musical piece aimed at providing a corresponding musical imagery.
2014
Sequence/Loop I, II and III
for looped mixed chamber ensemble, 18min (2011-2014)
Sequence/Loop I: Four Pianos (2011-2012)
Sequence/Loop II: Nine Pianos, Thirteen Violins (2012-2013)
Sequence/Loop III: Eleven Pianos, Eleven Voices (2013-2014)
About
The first experiments in procedural music, these three installments, developed in three different years and subsequently recorded in three different studio settings, are de-facto ‘studies’ on repetitive structures. Each installment presents different instrumentation and explore different ways of developing and arranging the repetitive structures. These pieces are both also adapted to a chamber music setting or with looping single instruments/instrumentalists, and can be performed either by a chamber ensemble or by few soloists.
Preludi (the Chopin project)
for solo piano, 25min
I. Inizi
II. Prima dell'Abbandono
III. Impetuoso
IV. E la Notte
V. Sottovoce
VI. Dolce
VII. Distante
VIII. Intermezzo
IX. Addii
About
The works of Frederic Chopin maintain a very special place in the realm of piano literature and, generally speaking, in the world of piano pedagogy. It may be inferred that his pieces mark a ritual of passage of almost every pianist-to-be trained in the western classical tradition. Chopin was perhaps the author that above all else had influenced me the most in my early practice as a composer. Preludi was created at a point that I was moving away from this style and I wanted to part with it with an open homage to his work, influence and legacy. In this collection then his style was openly and ponderously imitated, yet, of course, without making use of any of his published musical ideas - all works were created anew. My aim was to express his way of writing with a contemporary and personal perspective: I have attempted, that is, to follow my voice in equal parts as I have attempted to follow his. Principal points of convergence stand to be regarding form and overall melodic aim; main point of divergence, in parts of the harmonic language I have employed. The set is intended to be performed as a collection, lasting approximately 25 minutes: nonetheless each composition stands in its own right and can be played separately.
2013
Four Jazz Etudes
for solo piano, 15min
I. Chasing
II. Toccata
III. Trame
IV. Furioso
About
A second set of Jazz Etudes, continues in the quest of merging classical structures with jazz idioms. Compared to the previous works, this second collection expands on the technical demands and on the overall complexity, both in terms of harmony and form.
2012
Concerto
for piano and chamber orchestra, 8min
in one movement
Elegy to the Falling Man
for string orchestra, 8 min
About
Elegy to the Falling Man is a piece written in memory of the 9.11 tragedy. The writing of the piece was commenced on September 11, 2011, a decade after the event, and completed in early 2012.
2011
Jazz Etudes and Preludes
for solo piano 20min
Jazz Etude I: Toccatina
Jazz Etude II: Raindrops
Jazz Etude III: Fantasia
Jazz Prelude I: In G minor
Jazz Prelude II: Adagio
Jazz Prelude III: Closing
About
This set of Jazz Etudes and Preludes aims at merging classical forms with jazz idioms. While each etude is focused on a single technical challenge, each prelude gives a simpler introductory thought: they were thus written to be a good musical complement to each other, a sort of jazzy ode to the Well Tempered Clavier.
Earlier works
Sonata
for solo piano, 2011, 18min
In three movements
Scenes from a Film Never Shot
for solo piano, 2011, 15 min
composed 2008-2010, revised in 2011, in 5 movements
Tre Preludi
for solo piano, 12 min (2004 - 2007)
I. Pioggia di Primavera
II. Preludio in Mi minore
III. Preludio in Sol minore