Glamorama Spies
Glamorama Spies for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello and piano is a chamber-music work by Italian composer Lorenzo Ferrero, written in 1999. Overview. The composition was commissioned by Sentieri Selvaggi and first performed by them at the Teatro Manzoni in the year 2000. The American premiere took place in Houston on 17 February 2014. "Glamorama Spies" was inspired by Bret Easton Ellis' 1998 satire novel "Glamorama". Analysis. The piece consists of a single movement lasting around six minutes, written in a chromatic and dissonant idiom. The opening section begins with a semitonal "anxiety" theme and ostinato figures atop  an ostinato bass line, marked by off-beat bass accents. A lyrical section follows in which these elements gradually move to the background while a gentle, contrapuntal "sentimental" theme emerges in the cello. The exchange between the two contrasting main themes is interrupted from time to time by dramatic chords on the piano, representing the point of view of the protagonist. The final section recapitulates some of the thematic material of the first section. At the end, the tension subsides, leaving room for ethereal harmonies and a conclusive ending. Discography. In chronological order of recording: