DIVERTIMENTO

Divertimento
for orchestra: *2*2*22 – 2200 – timp. – 1 perc.[opt.] – strings

• composition date: 2024/rev.2025
• duration: 19 min.
• detailed orchestration:
  2fl. (2 = picc.) / 2ob. (2 = eng.-horn) / 2cl. (2 = bass-cl.) / 2fg. / 2hr. / 2trpt. / timp./
  1 perc. [optional]: 3 Suspended Cymbals [ small/medium/large]; Sizzle Cymbal [medium]; Splash Cymbal; Cymbals a2; Tam-tam; Hi-hat; Vibraslap; Rute; Whip; Kick Drum [or Floor Tom];
  Bass Drum; Snare Drum; Tambourine; 5 Wood Blocks; Güiro; Cabasa; Triangle; Melodica;
  Glockenspiel; Tuned gong [F₂] / strings (min.: 6.5.4.3.2)
• premiere: 12/September/2025 | House of Culture at Ílhavo (Aveiro) | Filarmonia das Beiras Orchestra / dir. Luís Carvalho

Divertimento (2024), for orchestra, represents the fourth incarnation of musical material originally conceived in the Quartet (1992–93) for four clarinets. This material was subsequently revised and expanded in the Quintet (1997–98), written for a classical wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn), and later still, reimagined in the Nonet (2023), scored for mixed ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, and double bass).

The original clarinet piece is cast in three movements (Prelude, Lament, and Finale), forming a conventional fast–slow–fast triptych. These movements remain central in later versions, albeit significantly reworked and occasionally expanded with new material, while preserving the core thematic ideas. With each new version, however, I introduced a completely original and exclusive movement, progressively extending and diversifying the formal structure.

For the Quintet, I added Humoresque, an intermezzo placed third (between Lament and Finale) in a new four-movement structure. The Nonet introduced Barcarolle, inserted between Prelude and Lament, resulting in a five-movement form (Prelude, Barcarolle, Lament, Humoresque, and Finale). In the present orchestral Divertimento, a new movement, Scherzo-Burlesque, emerges in fourth position between Lament and Humoresque. The final structure now consists of six movements: Prelude, Barcarolle, Lament, Scherzo-Burlesque, Humoresque, and Finale.

This six-part form pays homage to the Classical era—particularly to Mozart, a prolific composer of more than twenty divertimenti for various instrumental combinations. The structure in my Divertimento mimics, in fact, the Mozartian model: several quite short movements of light, playful character. This genre has also attracted numerous composers across music history, from Haydn and Boccherini, to Bartók and Bernstein.

Stylistically, my work is overtly neoclassical, with a rather clear and unpretentious musical discourse, despite its modern, atonal idiom. As in the previous versions, I sought to create interrelations among movements by embedding brief quotations and cross-references to earlier thematic material, striving for greater structural cohesion and organic unity.

This piece has accompanied me since my formative years at the Porto Conservatory of Music. Though each new version represents refinement and artistic renewal, I have intentionally preserved some of the original spirit of the young composer I once was and do not deny. The gradual expansion of the instrumental forces employed has also brought increasing timbral diversity, enriching the musical texture and deepening the expressive palette. In a process of constant self-reinvention and artistic renewal, this work has allowed me to revisit my own creative past, always with fresh eyes and new perspectives.

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https://editions-ava.com/compositor/luis-carvalho-1974/

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