''Glamorama Spies'' for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello and piano is a chamber-music work by Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero, written in 1999.

Overview

The composition was commissioned by Sentieri Selvaggi and first performed by them at the

Teatro Manzoni The Teatro Manzoni is a theatre in the northern Italian city of Milan, located on the Via Manzoni. Opened in 1870 it was originally called the ''Teatro sociale di Milano'', before being renamed after Alessandro Manzoni following his death in 187 ...

in the year 2000. The American premiere took place in Houston on 17 February 2014. ''Glamorama Spies'' was inspired by

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...

' 1998 satire novel ''

Glamorama ''Glamorama'' is a 1998 novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis. ''Glamorama'' is set in and satirizes the 1990s specifically celebrity culture and consumerism. ''Time'' describes the novel as "a screed against models and celebrity". Develop ...

''.

Analysis

The piece consists of a single movement lasting around six minutes, written in a chromatic and dissonant idiom. The opening section begins with a semitonal "anxiety" theme and ostinato figures atop an ostinato bass line, marked by off-beat bass accents. A lyrical section follows in which these elements gradually move to the background while a gentle, contrapuntal "sentimental" theme emerges in the cello. The exchange between the two contrasting main themes is interrupted from time to time by dramatic chords on the piano, representing the point of view of the protagonist. The final section recapitulates some of the thematic material of the first section. At the end, the tension subsides, leaving room for ethereal harmonies and a conclusive ending.

Discography

In chronological order of recording: * 2002. ''Bad Blood''. Sentieri Selvaggi. CD recording. Sensible Records. * 2006. ''AC/DC''. Sentieri Selvaggi. CD recording.

Cantaloupe Music Cantaloupe Music is a Brooklyn-based record label that produces and releases contemporary classical music and other forms of avant-garde music. The label was founded in 2001 by Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Kenny Savelson. Gordo ...

Notes

References

* Borsari, Bruno, ed. (2006). ''20 anni di musica insieme''. Bologna: Pendragon. * Mandel, Naomi, ed. (2010). ''Bret Easton Ellis: American Psycho, Glamorama, Lunar Park''. New York: Continuum.

External links

Casa Ricordi Catalogue

Casa Ricordi Digital Collection

''Glamorama Spies'' video clip

WNYC-FM radio broadcast, 2009

WQXR radio broadcast, 2016
{{Authority control Compositions by Lorenzo Ferrero 2000 compositions 20th-century classical music Chamber music compositions Contemporary classical compositions Music commissioned by ensembles or performers