Cello and piano - difficult - Digital Download SKU: S9.Q6912 Sequentia Serpentigena. Composed by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. This edition: Sheet music. Downloadable. Op. 285. Duration 17 minutes. Schott Music - Digital #Q6912. Published by Schott Music - Digital (S9.Q6912). The Sonata, in six movements, is the direct outcome of Peter Maxwell Davies’ encounter with the ‘pievi’ – early medieval rural churches – of Tuscany. He writes: ‘In particular, it was inspired by the elusive and enigmatic nature of the imagery of their stone carvings. I have concentrated on just one image, that of the snake, which in Jewish and Christian tradition is a symbol of temptation and betrayal, and of sinfulness in general. However, in the pievi, older significances, which can be traced back to Estruscan times, can be discerned, and these meanings, quite contrary to the usual readings, are now beginning to be fathomed, helping us to understand for instance why the piece of San Vito in Corsignano has no stone carving apart from decorative elements, and that of small, extended snakes.’ (Peter Maxwell Davies)Inspiriert durch Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Begegnung mit den pievi, frühmittelalterlichen ländlichen Kirchen in der Toskana, und insbesondere mit ihren schwer fassbaren, rätselhaften Steinreliefs, entstand die Cellosonate um die selbe Zeit wie seine jüngste Violinsonate, auch ein italienisch inspiriertes Werk, das eine Reise durch Rom darstellt.
