Sandro Ivo Bartoli
www.sandroivobartoli.com , a
graduate of the Florence State Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music in
London, collaborated privately with Russian piano legend Shura Cherkassky. In
the early 1990s, with Cherkassky’s encouragement, Bartoli began to rediscover
the Italian piano literature of the early twentieth century, soon establishing
a trend and becoming its leading interpreter world-wide. In addition to the
concertos of Casella, Malipiero, Pizzetti and Petrassi, in 1995 he gave the
first modern performance in the United States of Respighi’s Toccata for piano
and orchestra in an historic concert that was broadcast by PBS in the series
‘Great Performances’. In Europe, he toured extensively with orchestras such as
The Philharmonia, the Hallé, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Stockholm
String and the Max-Bruch Philharmonie, working with conductors such as Peter
Stangel, Nicolae Moldoveanu, Michele Carulli, Simon Wright, Vladimir Lande and
Gianluigi Zampieri among others. He has performed alongside such giants as
Martha Argerich and Rodion Shchedrin.
Recent engagements have included Rachmaninov’s Second
Concerto in Dresden, Liszt’s Malédiction concerto in Munich, Chopin’s Second
Concerto in Grosseto, Mozart’s ‘Jeunehomme’ Concerto in Milan, as well as
appearances on Radio Nacional Clàsica Argentina, Radio Nacional Española, the
Icelandic Radio and Radio Muzical Romania.
Bartoli has recorded the complete concertos of Gian
Francesco Malipiero with the Radio Orchestra of Saarbrücken (CPO, winner of the
Diapason d’Or 2008), works for piano and orchestra of Ottorino Respighi with
the State Orchestra of Saxony (Brilliant Classics, 2011), the First Piano
Concerto of Erik Lotichius with the Academic Symphony Orchestra of St.
Petersburg (Navona, 2013) and solo albums devoted to the music of Alfredo
Casella, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Percy Grainger, Frédéryk Chopin, Ferruccio
Busoni, and ‘The Frescobaldi Legacy’ (Brilliant Classics, 5 de Diapason, 2013).
Sandro Ivo Bartoli
now features on the second release of Solaire Records http://solairerecords.com, the new label by Berlin-based producer Dirk
Fischer, entitled Liszt: The Franciscan
Works.
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| SOL1002 |
The 1860s saw the death of Franz Liszt’s (1811-1886) 20
year-old son Daniel and his 26-year-old daughter Blandine. After years of travelling Liszt announced that
he would retreat to the solitary life. He found an apartment in Rome where, in
1865, he took minor orders in the Catholic Church.
Liszt wrote a number of works inspired by St. Francis of
Assisi which Sandro Ivo Bartoli gathered into a recital programme. It is this
programme that he has taken into the studio to record for Solaire.
Deux Légendes, S.163 date
from 1862-63. Bartoli brings a fine delicate fluency to Saint François d'Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux, nicely phrased,
revealing so much of Liszt’s poetic vision. He moves through some rich, broad
Lisztian phrases with such well controlled dynamics that when the peaks arrive
they have all the more impact. Saint
François de Paule: Marchant sur les flots brings such a change of character
yet still with a sensitivity that reveals so much. There are some wonderfully
fluent, billowing phrases with this pianist bringing the feel of a live
performance such is his sense of freedom. There are passages of tremendous fire
and passion. This is a truly impressive performance
Bartoli brings a
fine power and assurance to San
Francesco. Preludio per il Cantico del Sol di San Francesco d'Assisi, S.498c as
well as some beautifully well-shaped poetic passages in a well-judged
performance. He also brings a formidable power to the impressive opening of Cantico di San Francesco, S.499.
However, it is his fine phrasing and understanding of the dynamics allied to a
fine sense of poetic vision that makes this such a commanding performance.
Alleluia et Ave
Maria, S.183 dates from 1862 with this pianist finding a fine clarity of
line in the richly dense opening passages of Alleluia showing a formidable technique allied to a fine overall
vision. Ave Maria d'Arcadelt brings some
particularly lovely, gentle passages where Bartoli is sensitive to every
dynamic and nuance.
Bartoli brings a rippling fluency to Les Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’este, S163/4 from
Années de Pelerinage (Third Year) (1867–77), finely controlled and shaped, revealing
an almost Debussian flavour. There is a lovely delicacy in the most exquisitely
turned phrases whilst rising to moments of great passion.
Miserere d’après
Palestrina, S.173/8 has a most wonderfully conceived opening before moving through
delicately shaped phrases and some fine moments of increased passion. Ave Maria Die Glocken von Rom, S.182 brings a gentle balm, Bartoli’s fine
sense of structure bringing a fine cohesion to this beautifully shaped
performance that rises in drama briefly before falling to a gentle coda.
These are truly impressive performances from this fine
musician. He receives a first rate recording. There are interesting booklet
notes concerning Liszt and The Franciscan
Connection by the pianist and notes on Aspects
of religion in the work of Liszt by Tobias Fischer as well as many colour
photographs.
I would like to hear more from this fine pianist.
See also Solaire Records first release:
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