The Swiss composer Franco Cesarini has waited a long time to write his first symphony and after years of considering and drafting, this Archangels Symphony, Symphony nr. 1 is a vast composition consisting of highly dramatic language, intense thematic developments and frequent polyphonic elaborations. The thematic material is taken from old Gregorian melodies that form the basis for the entire work, which is, despite the title, a non-programmatic work. It consists out of 4 movements: Gabriel, the gentle archangel; the supreme healer Raphael; the energetic archangel Michael, the Prince of the heavenly host; and surprisingly the archangel Urile, the ‘forgotten’ archangel. A true masterpiece and a fantastic musical challenge!
