Italian Suite for 2 Pianos by Christopher Norton

The Italian Suite for 2 pianos was written for Duo Pianistico Nicoletta & Angela Feola, Italian sisters from Bergamo who play a wide and varied repertoire to audiences all over Europe.

The Suite has 4 movements and is a Fantasia, loosely based on 4 different segments of a single day.

1. Puro Piacere (Pure Pleasure) captures that segment of the day when work is finished, colleagues meet together, conversations are excited and boisterous, perhaps a few drinks are imbibed and the desire to enlarge on the successes of the day is hard to resist.

2. Il Tempo Di Dubbio (The Time of Doubt) describes that period where one is once more alone, the celebrations of the day are over, friends have departed and the giddiness of self-aggrandization (and the effects of a little bubbly) has faded. It is then that self-doubt begins to rise as fatigue and uncertainty flood the body and brain. Negative feelings and melancholia are suggested by the main theme, which is surrounded by more and more ornate elements, suggesting confused and random thoughts.

3. LUmore Pesante Si Solleva (The Heavy Mood Lifts) The third segment represents the waking period after a restless night. The feeling of heaviness, even uselessness, is beginning to dissipate, but the mood is still sombre. The music gradually changes from minor to major. The sun has begun to pierce the clouds, and, eventually, to drive out the negativity of the night.

4. La Fiducia Viene Ripristinata (Confidence is Restored) The final segment of the suite is represented by a Tarantelle, an extrovert and upbeat piece,suggesting a more positive attitude is being generated in order to get one through the day and to create energy to face the next 24 hours in a life.