(b. 26 July 1947, Avezzano).
Italian composer of mostly orchestral, chamber and vocal works that have been performed throughout the world.
Ms. Gentile studied at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome, where she obtained a degree in piano in 1972 and a degree in composition in 1974. She had postgraduate studies in composition with Goffredo Petrassi at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 1975–76.
Among her honours are a prize in the competition of the Internationale Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Amsterdam (1982, for In un silenzio ordinato), the Award for Cultural Merit from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland (1988, for her advocacy in Italy of music from Poland) and honorary membership in the organisation Amici dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia (1997). She has received commissions from the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication of France, the Münchener Biennale, the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, and the government of Vatican City, among other institutions and orchestras.
Ms. Gentile is also active in other positions. She has served as artistic director of the annual festival for contemporary music Nuovi Spazi Musicali in Rome since 1978 and served as artistic director of the Orchestra da Camera Goffredo Petrassi from 1986–88. She then served as a member of the board of directors of the Biennale di Venezia from 1993–97, as artistic director of the Teatro Ventidio Basso in Ascoli Piceno from 1996–99 and as organiser of the Festival of New Italian Music in Beijing from 2001–03.
She served as vice-director of the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia from 1999–2005. She has given lectures throughout Europe, as well as in China and the USA.
Her primary publishers are Casa Ricordi, for most music written from 1978–2000, and Rai Trade, for most music written after 2000.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola di Alcina (chamber opera, reconstruction of work by Francesca Caccini), boy soprano/high soprano, high soprano, low soprano, alto, 2 high tenors, bass, female chorus (6 sopranos), 24 or more mixed voices, flute (+ piccolo, alto flute), oboe (+ oboe d'amore), 3 clarinets (2nd + bass clarinet, 3rd + E-flat clarinet), tenor saxophone, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, amplified guitar, harp, piano (+ celesta), violin, viola, viola d'amore, cello, double bass, 2 percussion, 1992
Il Flauto di Vertebre (piccola azione teatrale, text by Vladimir Mayakovsky [translated by Ignazio Ambrogio]), speaker, flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, violin, percussion, 1994
ORCHESTRAL:
Veränderungen, orchestra (7 winds, 7 brass, harp, timpani, vibraphone, xylorimba, tubular bells, percussion, strings), 1976
Flighty, orchestra (flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, French horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, harpsichord, 2 percussion, strings), 1982
Criptografia, viola, orchestra (8 winds, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, piano, 2 percussion, strings), 1985
Why not?, orchestra (8 winds, 6 brass, 2 percussion, strings), 1985
Shading, guitar, orchestra (5 winds, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, harp, piano, celesta, 4 percussion, strings), 1988
Concertante, flute, guitar, large orchestra (2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons [3rd + contrabassoon], 11 brass, harp, piano, celesta, 5 percussion, 52 strings), 1989
Concerto (Veni Lumen Cordis), clarinet, orchestra (2 flutes [2nd + piccolo], oboe, clarinet, 6 brass, harp, piano ad libitum, timpani/percussion ad libitum, strings), 1993 (version of vocal work)
Adagi, string orchestra, 1993–94 (its three sections may be performed separately: Adagio; Adagio Primo; Adagio Secondo)
Concerto, clarinet, orchestra (4/6 winds, 7 brass, harp, piano, timpani, 4 percussion, strings), 1995
Piccolo concerto, small orchestra (flute, clarinet, percussion, strings), 1995
Musica per scena, orchestra (5 winds, French horn, trumpet, harp ad libitum, piano ad libitum, timpani, percussion ad libitum, strings), 1996
Adagio per un'estate, flute, string orchestra, 1998
Improvviso, string orchestra, 2000
Monodia, small orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, timpani, bass drum, strings), 2005
Il Tema della Memoria, small orchestra (flute, oboe, clarinet, timpani, bass drum, strings), 2007
Ho scritto una canzone, string orchestra, 2008 (also versions for piano; clarinet, piano, bayan)
D'Improvviso un giorno, small orchestra, 2009
Un'Ombra si scioglie, small orchestra, 2010
Un Suono nell'ombra, string orchestra, 2011
Torre del Guado, small orchestra, 2011
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Similarity, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, 1978
Misty, flute, French horn, 1979
Quartetto I, string quartet, 1980
Bagamoyo, flute, oboe, clarinet, timpani, vibraphone, 2 violins, viola, cello, 1982
In un silenzio ordinato, flute, clarinet, violin, piano, 2 percussion, 1982
Solo, in Trio, clarinet, violin, viola, 1982
Ab imis, French horn, 1983
Come dal nulla, clarinet, 1983 (also longer version for bass clarinet, 1991)
Quartetto II, string quartet, 1983
Quintettino, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1983
Trio, flute, clarinet, French horn, 1983
Around, flute, clarinet, viola, 1984
Flash back, flute, cello, 1984
Insight, 2 violins, viola, 1984
Small points, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1984
Perviolasola, viola, 1987
Pour Pierre-Yves, flute, 1987
Rarefatte aggregazioni, 4 guitars, 1987 (tablature by Luigi Sini)
Perelision, flute, clarinet, violin, percussion, 1989
Quartetto, flute, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 1989
Canzon prima, E-flat clarinet, 3 clarinets, 1990 (version of vocal work)
Quick moments, flute, guitar, 1990
Ricordando un suono, flute, clarinet, 5-string double bass, piano, 2 percussion, 1990
Landscapes of the mind, clarinet, string quartet, 1991 (also longer version as Paesaggi della mente, female voice, string quartet)
Dal profondo, baritone saxophone, 1992
Momenti veloci, flute, harp, 1992
Petit piece, guitar, 1994
Sax quartet, 4 saxophones, 1995
Zapping, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, 1995
Pervioloncellosolo, cello, 1996
Scaglie di mare, harp, 1996
A gift for you, clarinet, 1998
Quartetto III, string quartet, 2000
Il Vasaio e l'argilla, flute, organ, 2000
Crazy duck, bass clarinet, 2001
Atiso, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 2002
Staccato dal mondo, clarinet, piano, bayan, vibraphone, 2003
Perviolinosolo, violin, 2005
Ho scritto una canzone, clarinet, piano, bayan, 2008 (version of work for string orchestra)
Duo a battente, flute, harpsichord, 2009
Perchitarrasola, guitar, 2009
Perflautoepianoforte, flute, piano, 2009
Perflautoechitarra, flute, guitar, 2009
Assoloperviola, viola, 2010
Assolopervioloncello, cello, 2010
Serene Ombre, violin, cello, piano, 2011
Una Memoria nell'ombra, flute, clarinet, vibraphone, string quartet, 2011
Blue andante, accordion, 2011
Dal nulla, clarinet, viola, piano, 2013
Come un sogno, flute, viola, cello, piano, 2013
CHORAL:
Cantata per la pace (texts by Salvatore Quasimodo, Lionello Cammarota, Giuseppe Mannino), male speaker, mixed chorus, large orchestra, 2000
Nobilissimo ballo (vocalise), mixed chorus, 8 saxophones, timpani, 2008 (also version for female speaker, 4 saxophones, percussion)
Un'Ansia di Pace (texts by Salvatore Quasimodo, Ivana Manni), male speaker, mixed chorus, orchestra, 2008
VOCAL:
Due Episodi (vocalise), female voice in echo, organ, large orchestra (2 flutes [2nd + piccolo], oboe, clarinet, 6 brass, 4 percussion, 52 strings), 1988
Canzon prima (vocalise), high female voice, 3 clarinets, 1990 (also version for E-flat clarinet, 3 clarinets)
Paesaggi della mente (vocalise), female voice, string quartet, 1991 (longer version of Landscapes of the mind)
Concerto (Veni Lumen Cordis) (vocalise), female voice, orchestra (2 flutes [2nd + piccolo], oboe, clarinet, 6 brass, harp, piano ad libitum, timpani/percussion ad libitum, strings), 1993 (also version for clarinet, orchestra)
Animali di Stranalandia (text by Stefano Benni), any speaker, baritone saxophone, 1995
Come fiumana, any speaker, string quartet, 2000
Supplica a mia madre, any speaker, orchestra, 2000
La Giornata di Betty Boop (text by Sandro Cappelletto), female speaker, piano, 2006
Madre ragazza (text by Dacia Maraini), female speaker, timpani, string orchestra, 2007
Notti di gatto (text by Franzina Ancona), soprano, bayan, 2008
Nobilissimo ballo (vocalise), female speaker, 4 saxophones, percussion, 2011 (version of choral work)
Barcarola un briciolo ortopedica (text by Alessandro Bottelli), female speaker, harp, 2013
Eco e Narciso nel bosco di Eros (text by Ivana Manni), any speaker, accordion, 2013
La Giornata di soprano isterico (text by Sandro Cappelletto), female voice–speaker, piano, 2013
PIANO:
Trying, 1980
Appena accennato, 1981
Gli Studietti di Betty Boop (album pianistico per principianti), 1992
Piccolo studio da concerto, 2004
Ho scritto una canzone, 2008 (version of work for string orchestra)
Preludio, 2010
HARPSICHORD:
Nonsense, 1994
DISCOGRAPHY
Small points; Trio. Flavio Emilio Scogna/Gruppo di Roma (BMG/Ariola)
Come dal nulla (second version). Rocco Parisi, bass clarinet (DDT: 19203)
Momenti veloci; Bagamoyo; Perviolasola; Canzon prima (second version); Dal profondo; Quartetto; Landscapes of the mind. Manuel Zurria, flute; Massimo Mazzoni, baritone saxophone; Claudia Antonelli, harp; Augusto Vismara, viola; Quartetto Claravoce; Quintetto Scarponi; Ensemble Musicanovecento (Dischi Ricordi Oggi: CRMCD 1028)
Adagio; Adagio Primo. Flavio Emilio Scogna/Orchestra Pro Arte Marche (DME Master/Marciano di Romagna)
Quartetto I; Quartetto II; Similarity; Trying. Bruno Canino, piano; Quartetto Nuova Cameristica; Gruppo Musica d'Oggi (Edizioni Edi.Pan: PAN-PRC S20-60)
Canzon prima (original version). Donatella Debolini, high voice; Gruppo Musica Aperta (Gruppo Editoriale Tirreno: IEM 20001)
In un silenzio ordinato. Barrie Webb/Firebird (Metier Records: MSV CD 92018)
Gli Studietti di Betty Boop. Thomas Hlawatsch, piano (MIDI Music Actaeon)
Quartetto III. Paul Klee Quartet (NIC: 1047)
Misty. Mario Ancillotti, flute; Domenico Ceccarossi, French horn (Penta-Phon: MCF 15013)
Concerto (Veni Lumen Cordis) (second version). Paolo Lepore/Orchestra Sinfonica della Provincia di Bari (Psicoanalisi Contro)
Quartetto II. Éder Quartet (Tirreno: TIR 023)
In un silenzio ordinato. Lorraine Vaillancourt/Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (UMMUS: UMM102)
Criptografia; Shading. Luigi Sini, guitar; Augusto Vismara, viola; Isaac Karabtchevsky/Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Milano; Lev Markiz/Orchestra A. Scarlatti della RAI di Napoli (UNIQUM/UNI: 173)