Luigi Dallapiccola’s Commiato (1972) is a masterful example of the composer’s late style, blending his deep engagement with serial techniques and his fascination with literary expression. Scored for soprano and a chamber ensemble of 15 instruments, the piece is a setting of a medieval Italian text by Cavalcanti, a poet from the 13th century. The title, meaning "farewell," reflects the work’s thematic preoccupation with departure, transformation, and existential reflection. The soprano part, which dominates the texture, is highly expressive and challenging, demanding both technical precision and profound interpretive sensitivity. Dallapiccola weaves the vocal line into the intricate fabric of the ensemble, creating a delicate interplay between voice and instruments, with moments of crystalline clarity contrasting with densely layered sonorities.

The instrumentation, which includes woodwinds, brass, strings, harp, and piano, showcases Dallapiccola’s mastery of color and texture. Each instrument contributes to the spectral quality of the piece, often employing extended techniques to enhance its ethereal atmosphere. The work’s serial construction is both rigorous and fluid, avoiding rigidity in favor of expressive nuance. This is particularly evident in the interplay of melodic and harmonic ideas, which seem to ebb and flow like a lyrical tide. The text’s themes of longing and separation are mirrored in the music’s frequent shifts in timbre and dynamics, underscoring the emotional weight of the words. Commiato stands as a poignant farewell itself, being one of Dallapiccola’s final completed works, and it encapsulates his lifelong pursuit of beauty and meaning through music.