ABSTRACT
No study of Berio’s Sequenzas would be complete without discussing the complementary series of works that evolved alongside them, namely the ten works that belong to the Chemins series and that represent an equally fascinating part of Berio’s output. The attention, admiration and respect that these two groups of works have aroused in the musical world are such that the words Sequenza and Chemins have practically entered into modern language as definitions of musical forms in their own right. The word Sequenza represents the idea of a highly complex and virtuosic composition for a solo instrument, whereas the word Chemins – inextricably linked to the solo Sequenzas – implies the transformation of an existing Sequenza into a completely different instrumental work, a transformation that treats the original solo material in a concerto-like manner, resulting in a work for soloist and instrumental group or orchestra. It is precisely this conceptual duality of solo and concerto that is fundamental to the existence of the various Chemins.
