Maestro Diego Ceretta unveils an electric lineup that boasts Alfredo Casella’s obscure ‘Serenade’, the Italian debut of Keiko Devaux’s ‘Fractured Landscapes’, and Tchaikovsky’s stirring Symphony No.4.
‘Taking risks in composition is essential,’ declares Keiko Devaux, a Canadian talent born in 1982, showcased in Italy for the first time by the ORT. Mentored by Salvatore Sciarrino at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Devaux embraces emotive artistry once avoided by late 20th‐century composers. Her works strive for explicit expression, embracing vulnerability while endeavoring to craft musical gestures that engage and hold the audience in a state of awe. Under the direction of Diego Ceretta, the evening’s repertoire juxtaposes Devaux’s composition with Serenata op.46bis for string orchestra by Alfredo Casella—a seldom‐heard gem—and Čajkovskij’s Symphony No. 4, an emotional pillar of late Romantic orchestral music cherished globally. This symphony, born from the depths of Čajkovskij’s personal anguish between 1876‐1878, amid his crisis over his sexuality and a disastrous brief marriage, mirrors intense despair. Čajkovskij characterizes this piece as a reflection on Fate, ‘an unyielding force that blocks our happiness, remains vigilant against our peace, and hangs over us like the sword of Damocles, forever tainting our souls.’