Apocalypse (Apocalisse)

• Written in 1951, Apocalypse (most often referred to in Italian as “Apocalisse”) is a symphonic poem for orchestra in three movements.¹
  1. Improperia
  2. La città celeste (The Celestial City)
  3. Gli angeli militanti (The Militant Angels)

Program note from the composer:

Most people know only the Apocalypse of St. John the Divine in the last book of the New Testament (Revelation). I have read many different accounts of the Apocalypse, most of which are in the form of poetry; this composition is a sort of synthesis or general impression of all the literature on this subject, the best known of which, aside from the writings of St. John, are the versions of Baruch and Enoch. Whereas most of us think of the Apocalypse as a description of a future catastrophe, I found inspiration in the more lyrical, ecstatic, and mystical pages of the writings.²

1. Bruce Archibald and Jennifer Barnes, “Menotti, Gian Carlo,” Grove Music Online (2024), accessed May 28, 2026, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000018410.
2. Gian Carlo Menotti, “Apocalypse (Apocalisse) (1951),” Wise Music Classical, accessed May 28, 2026, https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/30681/Apocalypse-Apocalisse–Gian-Carlo-Menotti/.