Bela Lugosi (Rapsodia per organo) (2017)

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) — Bela Lugosi (Rapsodia per organo) (2017)

Black sleep (liberamente)
La creatura (preludio)
Il gatto nero (tempo di valzer)
Dr. Mirakle (passacaglia)
Vampiri (introduzione e czarda)

“Bela Lugosi” (2017) is a rhapsody for organ inspired by the work of the Hungarian-American actor (1882–1956) who was famous for his roles in horror films, especially his 1931 portrayal of Count Dracula. The sections of the work explore different images from Lugosi’s film roles, including his portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster (“La creatura”) and his appearance in two films based on works of Edgar Allan Poe: “The Black Cat” (Il gatto nero) and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (in which he played Dr. Mirakle.) The last section (“Vampires”) is in the form of a czardas, a traditional Hungarian dance that begins slowly and ends wildly.

Carlotta Ferrari (b. 1975) is an Italian composer. Educated at the Conservatory in Milan, she has composed in many genres, developing a personal language that is concerned with the blend of past and present. Her compositions have been performed frequently around the world. Ferrari’s music appears on several CD recordings, including five all-Ferrari organ CDs: three recorded by Carson Cooman (2014/16) and two by Peter Clark (2015/16). She served as chair of music composition at Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China and is currently professor of music composition at the European School of Economics in Florence, Italy.