PERDONO

PERDONO optimized score: page 1

Program Note

Based on a poignant moment in Mozart's comic opera "Le Nozze di Figaro," PERDONO is inspired by the melody that follows Count Almaviva's plea for forgiveness from the Countess for his adulterous behavior. "Perdono! Perdono!" he pleads and, with immeasurable grace, she does. My intention is to give voice to the Countess's emotions, which are not explicitly expressed in Mozart's opera, including her anger and rage.

For me, this moment of forgiveness in "Le Nozze di Figaro" is one of the most beautiful and emotionally charged in all Western Classical music. Despite the narrative logic that may seem to favor adulterous men, I find this particular scene deeply moving and worthy of exploration.

The piece was commissioned by the Atlantic Music Festival for their fifth season anniversary and premiered in 2013 by the Atlantic Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of Jonathan Schiffman. In addition to drawing emotional resonance from the source material, the first three notes of the melody are a musical cryptogram, spelling out the initials of the commissioning organization, AMF. The premiere of PERDONO was presented alongside a concert version of "Le Nozze di Figaro" and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, with echoes of the latter incorporated into the piece's conclusion.

— Stephen Cabell