Wednesday 13 November 2013

Beautiful & Unusual from Italy No. 2

The other day I was writing about my recording of two works by Giuseppe Martucci, and mentioned a fill-up by Ottorino Respighi.  Today I want to discuss that work, and a couple of others by Respighi which are all of a similar type -- and not nearly as well known as his trilogy of symphonic poems about Rome.

The first of those tone poems (and Respighi's first big success as a composer), The Fountains of Rome, is big in every way -- big orchestra, big, bold sounds, vividly coloured tone painting.  The same is even more true of its later successors, The Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals.  So it will come as a surprise to many to hear that just 2 years after writing The Fountains, Respighi produced a genuine masterpiece of a very different stamp: Il Tramonto ("The Sunset").

The poem by Shelley (set in an Italian translation) seems to cry out for a passionate, ripely Romantic setting for voice and large orchestra, perhaps in the manner of Richard Strauss -- or of those Roman tone poems.  Yet Respighi's way is different.  The music does not shirk passionate utterance, but uses it sparingly.  In its place we have a masterpiece of delicate colour and gentle sound, the melodic line rising and falling, turning in unexpected directions, yet always with great beauty and lyricism.  The orchestration is for strings alone (or string quartet plus double bass), and Respighi coaxes a masterly array of textures from this limited palette.

Again, as in the Martucci pieces discussed previously, Carol Madalin sings with translucent tone, and Alfredo Bonavera leads the English Chamber Orchestra in a beautifully-shaped accompaniment.  The Hyperion digital sound is perfectly attuned to this music.

The other pieces I want to discuss come from a Decca recording made in 1978 with the London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Laszlo Heltay.

The first, Deita silvane ("Forest Gods") is cut from very much the same cloth as Il Tramonto.  It's a cycle of seven poems inspired by classical mythology, all about fauns and nymphs and the world of nature.  The poems are set for soprano solo and chamber orchestra, and share the characteristics and strengths of the Shelley setting.  Nor is this surprising when we realize that Deita silvane was composed less than a year before Il Tramonto.

The record continues with a fine performance of Trittico botticelliano.  This is a suite of three tone poems for chamber orchestra, inspired by three famous Botticelli paintings found in the Uffizi gallery in Florence.  The three pictures in order are Spring, The Adoration of the Magi, and The Birth of Venus.  Again, Respighi's mastery of orchestral colouring is demonstrated as clearly with this smaller ensemble as with the large orchestra he used in the Roman trilogy.  The Adoration of the Magi makes effective use of a well-known tune, the haunting mediaeval plainsong hymn, Veni, Veni Emmanuel.

Finally, we come to the Lauda per la Nativita del Signore.  This 25-minute cantata for chorus, three soloists, and chamber orchestra has been described as "a large Christmas carol", and that's a very appropriate description!  The simple beauty of the melodies and harmonies chimes well with the mediaeval poem which depicts the shepherds first being amazed by the angelic glory, and then worshipping at the manger.  The three soloists (Jill Gomez, Meriel Dickinson, and Robert Tear) all sing with appropriately understated style, and the chorus and chamber orchestra are equally effective.  Especially moving is Mary's lullaby, a duet for soprano and a single pastoral oboe.

In the re-release which I have, these Respighi works come coupled  with a very fine performance of Rossini's magnificent Petite Messe Solennelle, in its original version for 16 singers, two pianos and harmonium.  This set is a bargain of bargains if you can find it!

Saturday 9 November 2013

Beautiful & Unusual from Italy No. 1

In late 19th-century Italy, almost nothing could be more unusual and unexpected than a composer who never wrote one single solitary opera!  A lot of people may think I am making this up, but such a composer does exist.  And his music is so beautiful that it passes my ability to understand why people condemn him to obscurity and fourth-rate status without having heard any of his work.

Giuseppe Martucci lived from 1856 to 1909.  He was a noted and notable teacher and conductor (one of his pupils who later distinguished himself was Ottorino Respighi).  Unlike most musicians north of the Alps, Martucci revered the works of both Brahms and Wagner and introduced many of them in his homeland, including his direction of the Italian premiere of Tristan und Isolde.  If you want to really look hard, you may find traces of both in his own works, but louder than any outside influence is the sunny lyricism that is the unique gift of Italy to the world of music.  That lyric influence usually finds expression in Italy through opera, and an independent orchestral or chamber-music repertoire was virtually non-existent in Martucci's day.  But Martucci was a forward-looking man, and he composed multiple symphonies, concerti, chamber works, and large numbers of piano pieces.

The particular recording at hand features a kind of cantata or song cycle (either term could work) called La Canzone dei Ricordi ("The Song of Remembrance").  It's a setting of poetry by R. E. Pagliara for mezzo-soprano or baritone and small orchestra.  This work bears no opus number of its own, but we know that Martucci was working on it at the same time that Mahler was underway on his early orchestral song-cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ("Songs of a Wayfarer"). 

The poetry speaks of dreaming, and of regrets for things which have disappeared into the past and can only return in memory.  Martucci spins out a glorious stream of enticing melody throughout the seven songs, and accompanies with subtle orchestral colours, in very light textures.  None of the risk you find in Mahler or Richard Strauss of the poor singer being overwhelmed by the players!  The colouring shifts frequently, adding interest and variety to the sound.  All in all, a masterly composition and a brave one too, considering that Martucci's contemporaries were one and all engaged in composing operas.

In this 1987 Hyperion recording, mezzo-soprano Carol Madalin sings with purity of tone and clarity of text, all while effortlessly spinning out Martucci's soaring, ravishing phrases.  It's a truly winning performance, and certainly captivated me at first hearing. 

After the Canzone dei Ricordi, the CD continues with a Notturno for orchestra, another beautiful lyrical outpouring with the strings leading the way in establishing a truly poetic mood painting.

Throughout these two beautiful works, the English Chamber Orchestra plays radiantly and conductor Alfredo Bonavera makes a splendid case for these neglected pieces.

The CD fills out with another rarity by Martucci's pupil Respighi, and I will go on to discuss that one and other Respighi works little-known in my next post.