Inspired by the figure of NARCISSUS (from whom, according to the ancients, the practice of artistic representation as a mimesis of reality began), the piece aims to express the mystery and questions related to his death. Beyond the mythological narrative, the figure of Narcissus has been at the center of philosophical, psychoanalytic, and poetic reflections that, in contemporary times, have intertwined with major issues related to human subjectivity and the role of art. In the final moments of Narcissus's life, a tumultuous struggle is concentrated between the self and one's own image, between the aspiration for unity and the reality of division and lack. How can one not see in this tragic condition the fate of Western civilization, precariously balanced on the edge of the abyss? However, Narcissus's condition is also that of art, the chosen battleground between the Apollonian and Dionysian, between individuality and otherness, which this composition transparently expresses by revealing the folds of the creative process. Furthermore, within its constitutive circle, it navigates between the desire for unity and the irresistible discontinuity.

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Dedicated to Giampiero Gemini and his work "Ciò che mai Narciso disse"

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commissioned by GAUDEAMUS MUZIEKWEEK

for OERKNAL! ensemble