Alcalay, Luna: Un sogno a tre

Un sogno a tre for flute, viola and harp was written in 1990 for a trio of young instrumentalists and first performed in the USA. In the enigmatic words of the composer: “the piece has no beginning, no middle and no end … simply three musicians telling each other something and dreaming a little … sound is arising and that is enough …”. The three parts could be said to “interact” — the harp creating a foundation, and the flute and viola forming a relief — yet they never really “meet”, nor do they coalesce within the overall texture. Pitch and rhythm are strictly organized, but any attempt at dramatic development has been consciously avoided. The result, according to the composer, is a “relief-like mass that moves and sometimes stays still”, the density of the “events” changing within and between each section. Despite the seemingly amorphous nature of Un sogno a tre, the structural unity of the piece is never in doubt.