(H)Armonies

This recording is the result of a long artistic, personal and cultural journey that began in my homeland, the Republic of San Marino, and which has since taken me, together with my flutes, to many parts of the world. The title, Armonies, is a playful anagram that interweaves the name San Marino with my own surname and that of my beloved teacher Annamaria Morini (1950-2016); at the same time, it evokes the harmonies of sound, those universal symbols of beauty, peace and intercultural dialogue that transcend borders and eras. The instruments used – the C flute, the alto flute and the bass flute – serve here as companions on this journey and open paths along compositional styles, sonic languages and artistic visions. Far from remaining limited to the traditional repertoire, they become voices of experiment, memory and renewal, instruments with which composers have sought to embody stories, landscapes and emotions. Renzo Paniccia's S'ode ancora il mare (1992), recorded here for the first time, is emblematic in this respect. Inspired by the poetry of Salvatore Quasimodo and dedicated to Annamaria Morini, the work is written for both C flute and alto flute. The sonorities, shaped by breath-saturated sounds, flutter-tonguing, harmonics, trills, tremolos, key clicks and slap-tonguing, are structured to evoke the waves of the sea – a metaphor for the ebb and flow of human existence and for the inner voice that resonates in silence. No less suggestive is Mon (2024), dedicated to Monica Moroni, written by Daniele Venturi after a long period of illness. Here the solo flute recounts a delicate awakening, a rebirth symbolized by half-closed embouchures, vibrato inflections, oscillations of the instrument, flute tones, glissandi and singing timbres. What emerges is music that moves between vulnerability and resilience, embodying both the intimacy of recovery and the promise of dawn. The dialogue between voice and instrument is taken to the extreme in Ellen Lindquist's Nakoda (2002). Written for alto flute, the work recalls the tragic fate of Nakoda, an alpha wolf legally killed in Canada. Through boccola glissandi, breath sounds in the embouchure, tongue strokes and flute tones, the piece dramatizes the pursuit, the howling and the end – a lament dedicated to the protection of predators. The theatrical dimension of sound is also central to Toru Takemitsu's Voce (1971), for C flute. Here the flutist speaks directly into the instrument – "Qui va là? Qui que tu sois, parle, transparence!" – transforming language itself into resonance. Combined with flutter and double-tonguing, flute tones, overtones and broad dynamic variation, this becomes a meditation on the porous boundaries between voice, breath and instrument. In sharp contrast is Gabrio Taglietti's Canzoni delle libellule elettriche (1988), a playful and ironic dance in which tremolos, glissandi, trills, fluttering tongues and whispered breath bring to life a dream world of dragonflies. Their fragile wings become sonic images of floating, imaginary landscapes, full of glittering contrasts and dreamy suggestions. Alongside these contemporary explorations stand works that connect past and present in surprising ways. Herman Beeftink's Celtic Suite No. 2 (2015), with the succession of Adagio – Moderato – Andante scherzando – Allegro animato, is inspired by Celtic modality and rhythm and combines meditative breadth with lively vitality. Rocío Cirugeda's Melodia Sentimental (2023), for bass flute, is a deeply personal tribute to the composer's deceased mother: the warm resonance of the instrument radiates nostalgia, intimacy and radiant simplicity. Giuseppe Mario Finocchiaro's Anime (2024, world premiere), for alto flute, sets two souls in motion, their voices intertwine in poetic flight before merging into one floating song. The romantic heritage is reinterpreted in Fryderyk Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2, here in a recent transcription (2024) by Elzabieta Podolak for bass flute. What sounds familiar is transfigured: the lyricism of the nocturne gains an unexpected weight and depth in the darker register of the instrument. A similar recalibration takes place in Wilhelm Popp's Russisches Zigeunerlied Op. 462 No. 2 (1896), arranged for solo flute from a celebrated gypsy song, combining nostalgia with dramatic impulse. Katia Tiutiunnik's A Friend in the East (2025, world premiere), for solo flute, closes the circle in a spirit of intercultural dialogue. Dedicated to Monica Moroni, it celebrates the friendship between San Marino and China. The modal inflections and meditative lines embody music as a meeting point between cultures, an echo of the overarching theme of Armonies. Together, these works form not merely a succession of pieces, but a coherent journey through sound. They reveal the flute as an instrument of extraordinary versatility: capable of embodying the immensity of the sea, the fragility of dragonflies, the howling of a wolf, the intimacy of grief and the joy of rebirth. They invite the listener to recognize in music not only virtuosity, but also testimony – an art of memory, transformation and dialogue.