Sequenza XIV

[3] He played the solo in Berio's Il ritorno degli snovidenia for cello and orchestra in its UK premiere.

[4] The cellist and the composer then met in 1990, and Berio was so impressed that he requested de Saram to send this arrangement to his publisher, Universal Edition.

[11] Kandy was the ancient capital of Ceylon, and the Kandyan drum is one of the main instruments of Sri Lanka, played in ceremonies that date back to pre-Buddhist times.

[7] The sounds were described by Tom Service, reviewer from The Guardian of a concert of the Arditti Quartet playing works by Berio at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, as delicate, otherworldly and mesmerising.

In the end, a two-note motif played glissando, marked "ffff, violente & aggressive", alternates with distant extremely soft notes.

[4] Service described them as "phrases of achingly lyrical music, dreams of romantic warmth and intimacy", complementing the "energy of the percussive sections".

[4] When Deutsche Grammophon undertook a project labeled the first complete recording of the Sequenze in 1995, with members of the ensemble in, Sequenza XIV was not yet written.