The driving themes…
The Leitmotiv is co-substantial with writing an opera, at least after Wagner. It helps the listener/spectator to understand and to appropriate the actor's action, and the progress the story, by introducing the motives connected to a character, situation, thought, emotion or feeling within the musical speech.
In this opera, should I favour a particular type of leitmotiv? Would they be fairly connected to the characters, purely human or not? Somewhat connected to virtues and defects, or to real, imaginary, felt events?
I wanted at least to avoid an eventual systematization, with time, a sort of Pavlov reflex: a particular music for every event, thought or situation, a psychological packaged piece which musical composers for films have abused; a sort of "ready-to-think or feel" delivered in the music.
I shall limit myself to some driving themes which communicate everything or almost everything which Padre Pio may feel or live: the wound and pain, blood, prayer and miracle, God's mercy, the divine majesty, the Eucharist. Save Padre Pio, only the Man in Black possesses an initial outline which is appropriate for him.
For the first theme (which is Padre Pio's first theme), I wanted to compose something simple, emanating a feeling of peace, interiority, but which is also compatible with the expression of a contained and continual suffering. I made the best use of two Gregorian chants; I use them as the theme's foundations which they later carry. I chose initial tones of A flat and E major for them, with which I try hard to switch alternately from a melancholic emotion to a bit of rough reality (The Man in Black sings often in E major but also takes the tones of Padre Pio when he speaks about him). Some of the other quoted subjects are borrowed from my symphonic "La Lance et le Sang" (“Lance and Blood”), a kind of small first draft of this opera.
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A first encounter with future interpreters
Several artists, among whom some are internationally renowned, have already agreed to offer their assistance to the future recording of this opera. What they receive here is the testimony of my profound gratitude
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