- Peter Maxwell Davies
Il Rozzo Martello (1997)
- Chester Music Ltd (World)
Commissioned by the International Musicological Conference
Programme Note
A Michaelangelo sonnet lies at the heart of Il Rozzo Martello - a contemplation on the process of artistic creation and the role of inspiration within it, the sculptor's ‘crude hammer’; of the title, in Davies's words, ‘a pale echo of the creative efforts of exploring the same theme and similar imagery’;. This introduction is distinguished from the setting of Michaelangelo's text by adopting a plainsong style, although it builds to a climax with progressively rich harmony.