Christian Carrara is considered one of the most original composers of his generation. He primarily writes symphonic and chamber music, as well as works for musical theater and television.

Critics recognize in his work a writing that is “extremely attentive to the balance and delicacy of the harmonic texture” but “great in creative intentions, where the entire context manifests itself solid and clear,” capable of revealing, beyond the curtain of seemingly ‘simple’ music, the troubling question about the disastrous outcomes of what is proclaimed good, that is, what war, every war, entails (Claudio Strinati). “His music is close to the heart, clear but not simple, direct but speaks a language full of mystery: that of poetry” (Elena Formica). His music is performed in prestigious venues, from the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome to the Berliner Hall, from the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino to the Auditorium Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem.

“He is an author who has great ease of writing” (Giorgio Battistelli), and the positive relationship with the audience is well described by American critic Rob Haskins: “I know that I would like to share his music with others and listen to it over and over again.” “Unlike much contemporary music, his crypticism is not in the notation but in the difficulty of organizing and making his compositional thought as clear as possible, a bit like what happens in Verdi’s music, which possesses minimal semiological charge but a very powerful semantic charge” (Flavio Emilio Scogna).

He collaborates with important names in Italian and international music, including John Neschling, Flavio Emilio Scogna, Omer Meir Wellber, Paolo Olmi, Stefano Montanari, Michalis Economou, Jan Latham Koenig, Nir Kabaretti, Lior Shambadal, Alda Caiello, Roberto Abbondanza, Carlo Guaitoli, Roberto Prosseda, Floraleda Sacchi, Francesco D’Orazio, Francesca Dego, Danusha Waskiewicz, Robert De Maine. His works are performed by prestigious ensembles and orchestras, including the Filarmonica Toscanini di Parma, the Orchestra Regionale della Toscana, the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Trieste, the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Orchestra del Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, the Filarmonica della Fenice, the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, the Qatar Symphony Orchestra, the Berliner Symphoniker, the Slovenian Philarmonic, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Orchestra de la Unam di Città del Messico, the Orchestra del Teatro Municipal de Sao Paulo, the Ra’anana Symphonet.

He has collaborated with some of the most important names in Italian theater, including Sandro Lombardi, Ugo Pagliai, Sergio Castellitto, Marco Martinelli, Ermanna Montanari, Enzo De Caro, Alessandro Benvenuti. Among his theatrical works, operas such as “La piccola vedetta lombarda,” “Oliver Twist,” “Alto sui pedali,” and “Il giocatore” stand out.

In the symphonic catalog, notable works include “Magnificat. Meditation for pedal piano and orchestra” (commissioned by Emilia Romagna Festival), “Destinazione del sangue,” “Liber Mundi,” “Tales from the underground,” and “Ondanomala” (commissioned by Teatro Lirico di Trieste), and “Vivaldi. In memoriam” (commissioned by Maggio Musicale Fiorentino).

Regarding chamber music, some of his most performed works include “Luce,” “Bianco,” “Ludus,” and the collection of piano pieces “A piano diary.” In August 2015, the premiere of “War Silence” for piano and orchestra (commissioned by the Festival di Ravello) took place, featuring the Orchestra Filarmonica de La Fenice. In January 2016, “Machpela,” a double concerto for violin, cello, and orchestra (produced by the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra), with Francesca Dego on violin and Robert DeMaine, the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, had a successful premiere in California.

In July 2016, the premiere of “The Waste Land,” a concerto for viola and orchestra commissioned by Mittelfest di Cividale del Friuli, was performed by the Slovenian Philharmonic with violist Danusha Waskiewicz, former principal viola of the Berliner Philharmoniker.

With over 18,000 spectators and 28 performances, in October 2016, the production of “Cenerentola,” a new opera commissioned by the Fondazione Petruzzelli di Bari, came to a close.

In June 2018, “I Am home,” a piece for flute and string orchestra commissioned by Claudio Scimone and conducted by him with I Solisti Veneti, premiered. In January 2020, the premiere of “Luci danzanti nella notte,” a concerto for violin commissioned by the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza and dedicated to the violinist Francesca Dego, took place.

In 2021, there were world premieres of “4 emotions” for flute and string orchestra (commissioned by Emilia Romagna Festival), “O somma luce” for flute and mixed choir (commissioned by the Coro del Friuli Venezia Giulia), “The Devil’s Bridge”