Dedicated to violinist Julia Fischer, the concerto was commissioned by Radio France.
"The piece has been written under the impression of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings," Pascal Zavaro told the Julia Fisher Club.
"In the middle of the ’80s, he appeared like a comet in the sky of New York’s contemporary arts. He died early by an overdose at the age of 28 but is still considered a great master and inventor of a new style, close to graffiti and street art.
"In many of his works, one can distinguish a figure crowned or surrounded by a religious halo. But the painting itself is very violent, full of raging weals and colored splashes. This character appears in the four paintings I was inspired by, leading to the movements of the concerto: Fallen Angel, Saint, Acque Pericolose, Tar and Feathers.
"To express an equivalent of religious signs placed in the middle of chaos, a listener will discover several quotations of the ancient melody Dies Irae, used by composers of all times."
Zavaro previously composed a concerto for violin and choir, "Songs of Innocence."
