Fantasia e fuga sul nome di Jeanne Demessieux (2017)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Fantasia e fuga sul nome di Jeanne Demessieux (2017) for organ

Fantasia e fuga sul nome di Jeanne Demessieux (2017) uses “soggetto cavato” (literally referring to “carving” out a musical subject) to convert the vowels of a name or phrase into musical pitches. The name of the French organist and composer Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968) provides the musical material for this work. An opening free fantasia gradually coalesces into a toccata-like section. The fugue turns the name into a theme using repeated notes. The toccata-like music returns to end the piece.

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) is an Italian composer. Educated at the Conservatory in Milan, she has composed in many genres, developing a personal language that is concerned with the blend of past and present. Her compositions have been performed frequently around the world. Ferrari’s music appears on several CD recordings, including five all-Ferrari organ CDs: three recorded by Carson Cooman (2014/16) and two by Peter Clark (2015/16). She served as chair of music composition at Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China and is currently professor of music composition at the European School of Economics in Florence, Italy.