ATERIUM

Gratteri is a small Sicilian town of about a thousand inhabitants, located in the Madonie Park at 657 meters above sea level. The typical landscape, characterized by great morphological and naturalistic variety and surrounded by beautiful forests on a background of mountains, overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea, offering splendid views and suggestive sunsets. The composition, inspired by this beautiful town, highlights through the language of music three peculiar aspects of Gratteri and its community. Aterium, the ancient name of the village that stood near the castle of Gratteri and from which the town most likely took its name, is the title of this Suite structured in three contrasting movements. The first movement is entitled “Boanerghes” (Βοανηργες in Greek), an Aramaic word meaning "sons of thunder," an epithet attributed by Jesus to two of his disciples: “James of Zebedee and John, brother of James, for their impetuous character and particular fierceness.” The movement describes the life of San Giacomo (Saint James) and the community of Gratteri’s devotion for this saint. San Giacomo is the patron saint of the city and is called the "Sacred Hero, son of thunder." The relationship between the inhabitants and their patron saint is very strong; it is not unusual to see during processions tears of emotion at the passage of the statue of the Saint. The movement is majestic and solemn and is inspired by religious choirs and sacred Gregorian music. The characteristic rhythm of the drums is an important presence and is directly inspired by the rhythms performed during the Procession of San Giacomo. The second movement, a Nocturne in a Siciliana pastoral tempo, opens on a sweet and melancholic melody, suggested to the composer by a night walk in the moonlight. Indeed, Gratteri, gently perched on the slope with its characteristic streets and soft lights, resembles a nativity scene. The last movement, instead, has a totally different character and is based on a cheerful and carefree theme. The subtitle, “Alleys and Stairs,” has inspired this movement. A morning visit to the city, in the warm sunlight, motivated the composer to recreate in music that magical atmosphere: walking up and down the numerous stairways, getting lost among the narrow alleys and, last but not least, encountering the many cats, which have always been known for slyly prowling the stairs of the Church of San Giacomo.