Luigi Nono; Avant-Garde Italian Composer

Luigi Nono, 86, a leading avant-garde Italian composer who gained initial success in West Germany. A member of the Italian Resistance during World War II, he became a member of the Italian Communist Party and in his work searched for new techniques in composition. His music often made political statements. In “Il Canto Sospeso” (The Suspended Chant), written in 1955, the chorus chanted excerpts from the last letters written by European resistance fighters before they were executed during World War II. His most militant composition is considered “Intolleranza,” written in 1960 as a protest against social inequities and imperialism. In recent years, he used electronic and computer music in his compositions. A number of his works are considered pieces of modern musical theater, and in Italy several have been performed at the La Scala opera house in Milan. His wife, Nuria, is the daughter of composer Arnold Schoenberg. On Tuesday in Venice, where he was being treated for a liver ailment.