Description

Thomas Ludovico de Victoria is a Spanish composer who lived from 1548 to 1611. He only wrote around sixty works, but was held in great esteem and his compositions were very popular. The most well-known of his works are Officum Hebdomadae Sanctae (Tenebrae, 1585) and Officum defunctorum (Requiem, 1605, last work). These two compositions are sombre, empassioned and full of anxiety, like most of his late works. Victoria lived in an easy and superficial way, but consecrated his tears to masses and motets, which have retained moving quality up to the present day.

When I heard Victoria's music at the first time, I was deeply moved. It was the most beautiful music I had ever heard, and still is. For that I would like to honour the memory of this great composer. The name Tears of Ludovico refers to the late works of Victoria, with which my composition shares the main musical characteristics: darkness, passion and anguish.

© Uljas Pulkkis, 7/1999

Instrumentation

2222 2110 11 1, str, pno solo

Category

Works for Soloist(s) and Orchestra

Prizes

Grand Prize in the International Queen Elisabeth Composing Competition 1999

Premiere

International Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition, Brussels (Belgium), May 24, 1999

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Archive number

MF20806

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