Quartettino "In Vacanza"

Piatti composed the small quartet (Quartettino) In vacanza (On holiday), a Sonata-form in three movements for four cellos, dedicating it to the young cellists from Bergamo in 1891. It was premiered at the final exams in the same year.

It is a simply structured piece made of catchy melodies, thick of that irony, that carelessness that probably Piatti reckoned as a fundamental soft skill for young musicians. The first movement, Allegro con brio, bears the title Partenza (Departure), the second, Andantino quasi allegretto, Arrivo (Arrival), the third, Allegretto vivo, Danza rustica (Rustic Dance). One cannot help but notice the lack of a slow movement in the middle or of a Coming Back at the end.

We can explain this only in recognising that Piatti, having come to the end of a long career, may have wanted to leave a wishing message to the younglings who were still at the beginning of their path: “may your life be as a long, endless holiday, with no slack moment; may the enthusiasm to push forward never falter you and may even old age have the cheerful rhythm of a dance”

This score was published in 2018 and updated in 2023. Printed version from 2025.