Massimo Lauricella is a composer, conductor and pianist. Among the most important encounters in his life as a composer there were Gyorgy Ligeti, Witold Lutoslawski, Olivier Messiaen and Goffredo Petrassi with whom he had a deeper artistic and emotional bond.

His compositions have been performed all over the world by performers such as the Arditti String Quartet, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Chamber Ensemble of the Wiener Philharmoniker, the Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan, the Symphony Orchestra of the Carlo Felice Theater and many others.

He has conducted ensembles and orchestras in European festivals including the Mozart Festival, the Venice Biennale, the Spoleto Festival and his repertoire ranges from Baroque to contemporary.

About the piece

Ritratti surreali (Surreal Portraits) for 3 octaves vibraphone

The work is divided into five movements, each of which is inspired by a surreal image.

“Prisma alato” is inspired by an hummingbird and its fast flight and its colors with prismatic reflections.

After “Alter ego”: in which the opposite timbric personalities of the instrument are expressed: anger and calm alternate seamlessly.

“Vìb! Ràto! Ràtooo!” is the nonsense title of the third movement. It comes from the Italian word “vibrato”: in this movement the performer will recite together with the vibraphone. The text seems Italian but, on the contrary, is totally devoid of any sense.

In “Fryderyk 5.0”, the reference to Chopin is inevitable. The Polish composer is totally dematerialized: just a vague memory of the “One minute waltz” will appear.

Last piece, “Fuori controllo”, has a title that explains itself. This final piece is based on an obsessive repetition of eight chords: a vortex of madness, precisely, out of control.