Sanda Majurec: I ritorni, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano

The composition I ritorni, for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano was composed in 2013, and soon became a frequent and eagerly performed piece in the contemporary chamber repertoire. The work, with its significant and suggestive title, is formally based on the ritornello form, both comprehensively – in the relationships between the movements, and individually, since each of the five movements is conceived as a ritornello. The work was premiered in 2014 by the Glazbene staze ensemble, and in 2016 the mdi Ensemble performed it at the Glazben Tribina (Music Panel) in Opatija and at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, as part of the Croatian Music Festival in Vienna and the project “Female Composers from Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia” (2016).

As part of the 60th Music Panel in Osijek in 2023, the piece was performed by the Quasars Ensemble, and the Cantus Ensemble successfully presented it at concerts in Zagreb, Vienna and Cologne. The piece was also recorded on Sanda Majurec’s original album from the Croatian Contemporary Composers edition (Cantus, 2018).

(Bojana Plećaš Kalebota)