My new work for the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s upcoming Tognetti. Mendelssohn. Bach. tour is titled Ritornello and is dedicated to the 20th-century Soviet film director Sergei Parajanov (1924–1990), whose centenary is celebrated this year. Parajanov’s unique stylistic blend of avant-garde and surrealist aesthetics with folk art informed many of my approaches for this piece commissioned by the ACO. 

Jakub Jankowski. Photo © Sebastian Collen

‘Ritornello’ means ‘little return’ in Italian and refers to a specific musical form which began in the Renaissance and came to prominence during the Baroque era. In it, a central theme or refrain continually returns and is juxtaposed with contrasting musical episodes, sometimes in fragmented form or in different keys. The first movement of JS Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, which is featured on the ACO program, perfectly exemplifies the traditional Baroque ritornello form. 

My Ritornello is built around a recurring musical refrain, which acts as a throughline connecting the work’s two movements. This refrain is gradually revealed in the nocturnal first movement and is explicitly presented and developed at the commencement of the exuberant second movement, beginning with all the string players playing in direct unison. An interaction between...