Archæus (2020)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Archæus (2020) for organ

The title of “Archæus” (2020) comes from alchemy and refers to the lowest aspect of the astral plane on which living beings exist. This piece is a symbolic musical depiction of alchemical elements in contact. A pedal cluster represents the “materia” (the chaos/quintessence “first matter” required for an alchemical process). The left hand and right hand are each in two different RPS modes: the left hand representing the “Zolfo/sulphur (spirito)” and the right hand the “Mercurio/mercury (anima).”

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 seven all-Ferrari organ CDs: four recorded by Carson Cooman (2014/16/18) and three by Peter Clark (2015/16/18). 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.