Product Description
A Holiday in Naples (2021, rev. 2024)
I. At the Carnival
II. A Merchant at the Spinning Wheel
III. In the Ballroom
IV. At the Opera
V. At the Plaza
A Holiday in Naples is a five-movement programmatic work for solo piano composed in 2021 by Andrei Hadap. Composed in the late nineteenth century style, it depicts a lone traveller, on holiday, who explores the city of Naples in the same period. Each movement is a short scene that narrates the travellers experience during his visit through music.
The first movement, At the Carnival, in sonata form, begins with a slow introduction as the traveller sets foot at the pier in the morning. The main allegro begins as he hears the carnival from a distance and proceeds to explore, represented by the scherzando-like figures. Short episodes of tranquillity interrupt the carnival as the traveller, in a reverie, looks out to admire the Neapolitan coastline. The piece ends as the carnival fades out into the distance. Contrasting with the festivities, the traveller encounters A Merchant at the Spinning Wheel, the title of the second movement. This encounter depicts the reality of the poverty-stricken region at the time. Here, the merchant is depicted in a trance-like state, as the monotonous arpeggiated figures at the piano are heard throughout. Later in the piece, we hear the agitated merchant spinning the wheel faster, distracted by the carnival, but eventually calms down towards the end. The third movement, In the Ballroom, the traveller enters a ballroom, observing the dancers from a distance. He finds himself drawn to a young woman, though slightly nervous, whom he invites to dance. In the middle section, we hear the awkwardness between them as they both stumble frequently. Eventually, he regains his composure and the two dance well into the evening. In the fourth movement At the Opera, the traveller then goes to a nearby opera house where he walks in during a love duet between a tenor and soprano. The final movement At the Plaza, the traveller encounters the carnival once again. This time, they are dancing a tarantella, a Neapolitan folk dance depicting the involuntary muscle spasms from a venomous spider bite. The traveller joins in and dances with them until sunrise.
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