Banda (Orchestra di fiati)
Based upon a novel by Robert Harris
Info
My inspiration for the title of the work came about on reading the novel Pompeii by Robert Harris,
which describes the destruction of the Roman city.In the Autumn of 2004, I consequently became very
interested in this drama which took place on the banks of Vesuvius. The work which followed is simply
a series of descriptions which illustrate several scenes taken from the novel.
The
beginning depicts the crossing of Attilius; followed by the theme devoted to the agitation of the city
symbolised by a Neapolitan song. The toxic fumes released from the volcano announce the eruption
which follows almost immediately: after several seismic shakings, the top of Vesuvius is torn off in an
explosion. Within several minutes, Pompeii disappears beneath a thick lava. Human and animal life is
destroyed. Attilius and Corelia, however, survive the disaster having been able to seek refuge within
the town’s underground tunnel system.