Adagio in Memory of Nino Lo Bello

for violin, cello, clarinet, horn, and piano

When friends die suddenly and enexpectedly the effect is not just one of grief and pain. There follows a process of reflection on memories, and the attempt to come to terms with the loss by contemplating the meaning of life, the conditions of human existence. The attempt to engrave on the memory the lost friend by means of a picture, a poem, a composition is perhaps the most intimate sort of obituary that speaks not only of that person but also of the person who seeks to express creatively this valediction, this refusal to let go, of shared experiences and memories, and of things that were of significance to both.
Nino Lo Bello was a genuine friend not only of the composer but of the entire Ensemble Wiener Collage. As an american author and travel writer he loved Europe, lived a long time in Italy and from the early 70's in Vienna. As a journalist he accompanied the composer through several important periods and as a well-informed enthusiast of classical music, and especially of the opera, was one of the most loyal audience members at his concerts before returning to America in 1994. He died suddenly on the way to the National National Library in Washington D.C. in spring 1997.

The work was written for those instruments chosen by the composer from those incorporated into the Ensemble over its ten-year existence that seemed to the composer ideal for expressing a commemoration musically in the form of an Adagio.

The work was written during the summer of 1997 and first performed at the Anniversary concert "10 Years Ensemble Wiener Collage" on 20th September 1997. Further performances followed in Budapest (2.10.1997), Triest (13.11.1997) and Rome (14.11.1997)