LouLa Sonnets

"LouLa Sonnets" is a composition for cello and six female voices by Ivan Fedele, based on texts by the Lyonnaise Renaissance poet Louise Labé (c. 1524–1566). Commissioned by the Late Spring Music Festival at the Reggia di Venaria, the work is structured in three parts, each based on a sonnet by la belle cordière: "Claire Vénus" (Sonnet V), "Je vis, je meurs!" (Sonnet VIII) and "Ô beaux yeux bruns" (Sonnet II). The cello—played by dedicatee Claudio Pasceri—acts as an alter ego to the lute, an instrument often evoked by the poet with a strongly sensual quality. The vocal part, entrusted to Ensemble Sequenza 9.3 directed by Catherine Simonpietri, alternates moments of lyrical intensity with a highly varied sprechgesang, creating a kaleidoscope of timbral solutions as numerous as the emotions stirred by the text. The EP is produced with the support of Reggia di Venaria.