Ensembletto in three movements with a coda for three musicians and nine instruments

A new edition of the “Venice Suite” by composer Elena Sokolovski appeared in 2023, 17 years after its premiere in the USA, at Texas Christian University, with a recording of the work by the Albany Records Company, New York, live radio broadcasts and a review of the work, which was published in "Fanfarе magazine", USA. This second edition differs quite seriously from the previous one, but not in the artistic quality of thematic themes and instrumental colors, but in the general concept. That is why the author renamed the work, calling it not “Concerto Grosso” (which was a little heavy), but “Ensembletto”, thereby emphasizing the grace and delicacy of this music.

The composer set himself a slightly different dramatic task in the new second edition than in the first: to illuminate the fabulous city in its historical immutability, to show its extraordinary features, which are the hallmark of Venice from the past to the present day. However, the author in his work does not highlight all those well-known and many times described features of Venice – canals, gondolas, bridges, etc., but highlights completely different features of the city, which appear especially vividly before listeners. Venice evokes associations with a precious fragile vessel, it is one of a kind, it cannot be rebuilt, modified – its beauty endlessly attracts a great many people who admire it. But at the same time…

The beautiful immutability of Venice is emphasized by the fate that previously threatened it – flooding (only very recently has the city been taken under the protection of dams). And it is the combination of this immutability and the steadily threatening flooding in the past that creates the completely unique “aroma” of the city on the Adriatic Sea.

The suite consists of three parts and a coda, but the first and second parts are divided into sections with titles. The first part of six sections depicts the city from dawn to dusk, its world-famous Venetian lace and Venetian glass. The creation of these sophisticated, fragile creations is so inherent in such a masterpiece as Venice, a city that arose in distant previous centuries.

The composer found the musical image of ancient Venice surprisingly accurately. The timbre of the harpsichord recreates the time when Antonio Vivaldi worked – the suite is dedicated to the great composer and the city of Venice. And the sounds of the celesta create exactly that fragility that we talked about above. The first movement uses two unusual instruments: a Tibetan singing bowl and a set of four glasses filled with wine, on which the pianist plays with soft professional percussion sticks.

Generally speaking, in this work, designed for three musicians and nine instruments, the issue of timbre palette is resolved in a very unique way. Each of the performers plays not only his “natural” instrument, but also other, rather exotic ones. So, the pianist has to perform his part on the piano, as well as on the harpsichord and celesta. In addition, he “plays” on four glasses. The violist plays the viola and partly the Tibetan singing bowl, and the clarinetist during the course of the piece changes the A clarinet to the Eb clarinet and the bass clarinet, and also participates in playing the Tibetan musical bowl.

The second part illuminates through musical means the centuries-old tradition of Venice – its carnivals. They originated more than 1000 years ago and are repeated annually in February , attracting large numbers of spectators and participants. Masks, processions, dancing… But not only that.

St. Mark's Square is an amazingly beautiful place. On it there is a temple of the same name, the Doge's Palace with many arches, a high tower directed upward, columns and elegant lanterns. And all this splendor is filled with huge clouds of pigeons, rapidly flying, circling, soaring up! This is one of the most colorful brands of Venice, and a person who sees this spectacle will never forget this picture.

But then we hear sounds that return us to the noisy and cheerful world of the carnival – it again passes in front of us and gradually moves away.

The third part strongly contrasts with the previous two. In this part, the composer seems to personify the city, presenting it as a living being. And thus, this part reflects the main pain of Venice in recent times – its horror of the gradually approaching flood. This specter of a destructive flood has repeatedly caused confusion and terrible anxiety in the masterpiece city, and the fast, literally “hysterical” intonations perfectly reflect the “dialogue” between the water element and the city. This “dialogue” takes place in this part three times in the form of “waves”. The gloomy sounds of the sea approaching the city are permeated with the intonations of the ancient mourning dance of the saraband. “Sea, don’t destroy me!” – Venice seems to be begging. The impression of this danger is so great that it leaves its mark on the entire suite…

However, the coda returns the character of cheerfulness to the music: this is today's unsinkable Venice, in which all the traditions and features of the past have been preserved. Now the city is protected by dams, it continues to live, entertain and delight its residents and people who visit it and admire its amazing fabulous beauty.

Leonardo Paillatti