“From the Beginning to Infinity”: Izabela Torfs on Composing Maleficus

Young composer and violinist Izabela Wiktoria Oliwia Torfs has been awarded the Gold Prize in the Original Composition category at the Global Best Creative Awards 2025 Season 1 for her bold and imaginative work, Ab Initio ad Infinitum, Maleficus!, written for violin and piano.

Driven by a desire to create something challenging and thrilling to perform, Torfs composed the piece for herself to play on violin. “I’m practicing it now—and it’s perfect!” she says with enthusiasm. Inspired by the dramatic intensity of John Williams’ The Imperial March, Torfs set out to write music that was equally powerful and full of story.

The composition centers around a fictional, eternal character—Maleficus, the “evil one”—who lives from beginning to infinity. “Because no one can defeat them, they feel hopeless, determined, and sad. I wanted the music to express those emotions.”

One of the most important elements of the piece is a leitmotif—a recurring melody that appears three times and serves as the character’s musical identity. “It’s the melody to really listen out for,” she notes.

Torfs hopes listeners come away from the performance not just moved by the music, but inspired by the storytelling. “You can express a story through music—especially about a character. That’s what this piece is all about.”

What inspired the setting or context of this work?

I wanted to make a challenging piece for violin and piano, so I could play it on my violin (I am now practicing it, and it is *perfect!!!*). "*The Imperial March*" of John Williams also inspired me to make this piece, because I really like his style of writing 😁.

What emotions or ideas were you hoping to express through this work?

I made this piece about a certain character who lives for an eternity, who is invincible, that is why the title says "*Ab Initio Ad Infinitum*" (my mum made three spelling mistakes in the title and subtitle when she sent you my piece!) because that means "*from the beginning to infinity*", as the character lives forever. However, because the character is invincible and nobody can defeat the character, the character is very intimidating and mysterious, and because of that the character is often called "*Maleficus*" and that means "*the evil one*". So, I wanted here to express the emotions of the character which are hopelessness, determination and sadness.

Is there a particular element or detail in the piece that holds special meaning for you?

The melody that repeats three times in the piece is the main melody of the character, and you could even say that that melody is the "leitmotif" of the character. That is the most important melody to listen to in my opinion.

Was there a specific concept or influence that guided your creative process?

As I already said in the previous question, "*The Imperial March*" of John Williams inspired me to write this piece the way it is.

What do you hope audiences take away from experiencing your work?

I hope that audiences will take away from experiencing my work that you can express a story through music, especially about a certain character.