Sara Zamboni: ‘I was deeply moved by how Ali Smith captures the beauty of brief encounters in her book’

For the project by the New European Ensemble with Scottish writer Ali Smith, composer Sara Zamboni created a new piece inspired by Summer, a novel from Smith’s “Seasonal Quartet.”

What appealed to you in the novel?
“I wasn’t familiar with Summer yet, and I read the book twice to absorb all its nuances and to understand the references to English culture, which is very different from my Italian background. It was incredibly inspiring and fulfilling to engage with it so intensely. It’s a novel full of sharp reflections on the complexity of contemporary society, but I chose to focus on a passage that stood out for its lyrical and poetic quality.”

What happens in that passage?
“One of the main characters, Grace, takes a summer walk to a small countryside church where, thirty years earlier, she had an encounter while hearing the song ‘Bryter Layter’ by Nick Drake playing. She wants to see if the church is still there and thinks back to that lovely, carefree afternoon full of serendipity. She and the stranger never saw each other again, but in that one moment, they were able to share their stories and thoughts. The title I chose—Hymn to Timeless Melancholy. Hymn to an English Summer, refers to a sentence from that scene. I added the article ‘an’ to emphasize that I’m referring to the specific summer afternoon Grace remembers. That passage was the most inspiring part for me during the creative process.”

How did you turn it into music?
Hymn to Timeless Melancholy. Hymn to an English Summer consists of a non-chronological series of poetic impressions for flute/piccolo, clarinet, piano, and string quartet. I drew the structure from the book, which doesn’t follow a linear storyline but weaves together the memories and stories of Grace, her family, and the people she encounters. I don’t use spoken text or narration, but let the music speak for itself. This way, I want to leave space for the audience’s own associations and memories. It was a challenge, but above all, a joy to engage with literature in this way. I was deeply moved by how Ali Smith captures the beauty of brief encounters in her book, those fleeting moments that stay with us for a lifetime, and I hope my piece reflects the feeling that comes with them.”