| TEXT | |
| Ballo | Dance |
| Amor fa disciare li più saggi | Love makes even the wisest mad, |
| [e] chi più l’ama meno ha in sè misura | and he who loves most has least judgment. |
| più folle è quello che più s’innamorathe. | The greater lover is the greater fool. |
| Amor non cura di fare suoi dannaggi | Love is careless of the harm he does. |
| co li suoi raggi mette tal calura | His darts cause such a fever |
| che non puo raffreddare per freddura. | that not even coldness can cool it. |
Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was Italy’s most important post-war composer. His grandfather was an organist and composer, and his father a cinema pianist, accompanist for dance bands and church organist. The young Berio was a gifted pianist but an accident to his right hand during military service turned him towards composition. He wrote some of the most significant works of the second half of the twentieth century, including the Sequenzas, a collection of solo works for a variety of instruments, and Sinfonia for orchestra. His first wife, American-Armenian soprano Cathy Berberian, was the inspiration for many of his most famous works, including Circles, Folk Songs, Omaggio à Joyce and Sequenza III. Their marriage ended in 1966. Berberian died of cancer in 1983. Berio taught at Harvard, the Juilliard School, Darmstadt and Tanglewood. He was very interested in other art forms, and collaborated with the noted Italian writers Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco. He married his third wife, the musicologist Talia Pecker Berio, in 1977, who survives him along with their son.
| Featured Work | Other Recommended Works |
| Folk Songs – Arts Music 47376 | Sinfonia - Elektra 45228 |
| Circles - Wergo 6021 |
Performer and production credits:
Karol Bennett, soprano; Leone Buyse, flute; Hannah Holman, cello; Susan Oltsman Koozin, narrator; Tricia Park, violin; Rod Waters, piano; Michael Webster, clarinet; Blake Wilkins, percussion.
Bill Klemm, videographer and editor; Kate Dawson, director.