Ludus Serius, a “Serious Game”, brings together a postmodern patchwork of musical styles, from Impressionist colour to jazz-inflected rhythm and echoes of Romantic expressivity, all refracted through a neoclassical lens. The title reflects this multifaceted spirit: Ludus evokes lightness and playfulness, while serius acknowledges the structural rigour below the surface.

The first movement, Preludio, unfolds in a binary form punctuated by a recurring ritornello idea. Latin jazz rhythms give the music a buoyant energy.

The second movement, Valzer, offers a dance that is gently askew. Its elegance is haunted by shadows: eery harmonies drift into dreamlike episodes, and the music wavers between whimsy and the uncanny, like a ballroom glimpsed through the fog.

In the third movement, Burlesca, austerity takes hold. Built almost entirely from a single scale (C, Db, Eb, E, F#, G, A, Bb), it evokes a kind of ritual minimalism. Inspired by a medieval painting of a barber operating on a distressed patient, the music becomes a study in obsession and suffering.

The last movement, Umoresca, is a lively polka. A miniature waltz interrupts as a trio section, giving the viola and cello space to wink and tease.

Premieres: IV on 3 May 2019 at Kiev Conservatory. I and II (in string orchestra arrangement) on 17 November 2022 by Orquestra Styria conducted by Domènec González at Auditori Eduard Toldrà, Barcelona.