Circles was written for Berio's wife, the American mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian. The work followed by two years the landmark composition Thema (Omaggio a Joyce) in which Berio deconstructed Berberian's voice through the use of innovative electronic manipulation. Throughout Circles Berio explores similar sound textures while limiting himself exclusively to acoustic means. The work was commissioned by the Fromm Foundation, with a dedication in the score to Mrs Olga Koussevitsky.
Librettist | (Three poems by E. E. Cummings) |
Date of composition | 1960 |
Premiered | 1960, August 1st in Tanglewood, TX, United States |
First published | Universal Edition |
Dedicated to | Written for Berio's wife the American mezzo-soprano Cathy Berberian. |
Type | Song(s) |
Approx. duration | 20 minutes |
Spoken language | English |
Instruments |
Voice
- Female ;
Harp 2x Percussion |
Autotranslations beta |
Luciano Berio: Circles Luciano Berio: Circles Luciano Berio: Circles |