About this Piece

Liguria was commissioned by the Swedish Radio and written for the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. The piece was premiered by the orchestra on April 20, 2012, at Berwaldhallen, conducted by Daniel Harding. Liguria has since then been performed many times in Sweden and abroad. In 2017, it was performed at the BBC Proms.

“On the northwest coast of Italy by the Ligurian Sea are five small fishing villages clinging to the steep cliffs. These are called Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, and between the villages are paths connecting them through the mountains. In August 2011, I visited this area and, as soon as we arrived, I knew that I wanted to write music about it. The result is a work that can be described as a “walking tour” among the small villages: Riomaggiore with its high waves; Manarola with its clock tower; Monterosso, where sunbathers stressedly hurried to secure a place on the beach and open up their colorful beach umbrellas, as if in a scene in a Fellini film; Vernazza, with its watchtower and cliffs; and lastly, Corniglia, where the night sky was filled with stars.” —Andrea Tarrodi