Luigi Nono

Luigi Nono began Como una ola de fuerza y luz (Like a wave of strength and light) as a piece for piano and orchestra in 1971, at the instigation of Maurizio Pollini. While the composition was in progress, Nono learned of the death of a young Chilean revolutionary and recast the work in his memory, with added parts for soprano soloist and tape. The resulting half hour work is clearly a lament, encompassing various expressions of grief, from stunned sorrow to anguish to the fiercest rage. As a kind of requiem, the work is deeply expressive and deeply moving. Claudio Abbado leads the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in an overwhelming performance, made soon after the work's premiere. Soprano Slavka Taskova and Pollini sing and play with great passion and commitment.