insomnia

  ”Insomnia” was commissioned by Duo Detritus, as part of the “Greatest Hits” series of works commissioned by them. In the series, the new compositions form pairs with well-known baroque songs from the 17th century – the works share the same text and tuning. Voice is accompanied by a theorbo.

  Before starting the composition, Tarquinio Merula’s (1595–1665) lullaby ”Or ch’è tempo di dormire” from 1638 was chosen as a pair for the new work. I was fascinated by the text’s internal contradictions and dark undertones. The lullaby is aimed at a child (bambino), but between the light and gentle words come violent and grotesque images of what can or will happen: Posa hor queste membra belle e vezzo sette / E tenerelle perchè poi ferm’e catene, gli daranno acerbe pene.*

  I decided to use the text only in fragments, composing a postlude for Merula’s lullaby that would fluctuate between sleep and waking. The title of the work, Insomnia, describes how the speaker of the text changes from the mother figure of the lullaby to the self-talk of the sleeper – these subconscious horror images torment and do not leave one alone, making it impossible to fall asleep.

  The piece begins with the serene atmosphere after the lullaby, but as the fears and terrors start to intensify, the mood changes. The agitation of the music increases, as if it was looking for a comfortable position without finding it, spinning from one position to another in frustration. The text keeps repeats its first words like a mantra, cyclically returning to the starting point repeatedly. Insomnia and related sensations are used as direct metaphors for musical gestures: rolling from side to side, feeling of discomfort, the flooding of dark thoughts and the constant alternation between fatigue and activity inspired music in which I try to reproduce the dark tones of the original text as accurately as possible.