Gelidi riflessi (Frozen Reflections) was written after a request from my dear friend, Belarusian-Italian violinist Tatiana Reout. She was looking for a contemporary composition to be added to her program dedicated to winter in Italy. It took me a long while to understand which way to go. I asked Tatiana a lot of questions about Italian winter. I was curious about colors, scents, feelings – anything that could be helpful.

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My true inspiration came after finding unusual black-and-white photographs of winter in Venice. When we think about Italy we always imagine something joyful and colorful, from pizza and wine to sunny weather and good mood. The photographs I found were very different. San Marco Cathedral in Milan was hard to see on a misty day; gondolas, this eternal source of joy and romance, were lying down, forgotten, useless, covered with snow. One of the photographs had a seagull, whose reflection was seen in a half-frozen puddle. That image helped me find the title of this cycle.

Nina Siniakova, Philadelphia, November 2019