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Alfredo Casella was born in Turin to a musical family, his grandfather having been a cellist and friend of Paganini. He studied piano under Louis Diémer and composition under Gabriel Fauré at the Conservatoire de Paris, where George Enescu and Maurice Ravel were among his fellow students. During this period in Paris he met Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, and Manuel de Falla. It was these composers and his enthusiasm for Strauss and Mahler that influenced his early music.
In 1915 he took a post at Liceo di Santa Cecilia in Rome. As
conductor, composer and organiser he was active in the cause of contemporary
music having by then fallen under the influence of Schoenberg, Stravinsky and
Bartok.
His compositions include opera and ballet works, vocal
works, orchestral works including three symphonies, concertos, piano works and
chamber works including the two works for string quartet included on this new
release, Concerto per archi, Op.40 and Cinque pezzi, Op.34.
This new disc opens with the World Premiere Recording of Casella’s Concerto per archi, Op.40 (1923). The Sinfonia: Allegro brioso e deciso immediately shows an astringency as
the theme hurtles forward. The second subject is just as frantic until the
music slows in a gentler section with pizzicato cello. The music eventually
builds again, underscored by pizzicato cello until the opening tempo is arrived
at and the opening theme is developed. Again the music falls quiet before
building up to move inexorably to the coda.
The second movement, Siciliana:
Andante dolcemente mosso, has a quiet, gentle opening where the lovely
melody is passed around the instruments. A gentle rocking theme emerges as the
cello keeps a rhythmic pizzicato pulse. The theme is varied and shared around
the instruments until a new theme opens, livelier and more playful with a very
Mediterranean feel. Soon the gentle rocking theme returns in a particularly
beautiful passage, beautifully played by this Quartet, who maintain its
reflective rocking pulse exquisitely. The playful theme tries to return, is cut
off by the rocking theme, tries again and fails as the viola continues the reflective
theme with its rich vibrant tone. This is a beautiful movement with the feel of
being based on a folk tune. There is a
little outburst before the quiet end.
The Minuetto: Recitativo.
Aria: Allegretto grazioso e molto moderato opens with a light, happy melody
that gently moves along. Casella uses subtle little dissonances but is always
melodic. Soon the music changes to a broad, chordal passage with a motif played
over chords on the lower instruments. This leads to a further development by
the violins before the music moves into a gentle section and a return of the
opening theme only more thoughtful, slowly quietening towards the end.
The Canzone: Allegro
giocoso e vivacissimo commences with a bright and breezy melody that
develops some strongly rhythmic dissonances. This gives way to a gentler fast
moving theme before the rhythm of the opening returns as the music builds
again, rising upwards and increasing in tempo. When the gentle theme returns it
develops a rather spiky nature. When the opening theme returns it soon quietens
but returns to its original pace to lead to the coda.
The Concerto per archi
is certainly a very attractive work, finely played by the Quartetto di Venezia.
The Preludio:Allegro
vivace e barbaro of the slightly earlier Cinque pezzi, Op.34 (1920) displays what appears typically
Casellian fast moving theme that soon quietens whilst keeping its fast moving
theme. The two themes alternate until the opening theme leads to the coda.
Ninna Nanna: Tempo di
‘Berceuse’ (Andantino dolcemente mosso) opens quietly as the instruments
slowly join in a lilting theme that richens and develops with many delicate and
atmospheric musical ideas before ending quietly. Valse ridicule: Tempo di valzer grazioso is a strange, dissonant,
spectral waltz that is followed by Notturno:
Lento grave funebre where the strange harmonies fit well after the waltz as
the players slowly move around a theme allowing it to slowly appear. The music
returns to the opening harmonies but rises back to the opening theme again.
Eventually a brighter section lifts the music but it soon quietens to the
opening tentative phrases to end.
There is an opening flourish to the final movement that soon gives way to a lively Fox-Trot: Tempo giusto (Allegro molto
moderato) with members of the quartet strings keeping the rhythm whilst the
first violin plays the melody. There is a terrific second subject before the
opening returns with playing of great fun. Casella allows the music to become a
little laboured as it progresses but it eventually speeds to the coda to end
this varied and entertaining work.
Guido Turchi was
born in Rome where he studied with Pizzetti before teaching at the Conservatory
there. In 1970 he became director of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. His
compositions include an opera, orchestral works, vocal and chamber works
including his Concerto breve (1947) that
concludes this disc.
The Elegia: Molto
lento has a quiet opening with s harmonies on the strings before it slowly
emerges as a dramatic, passionate theme. Later it descends to quiet shimmering
strings underlined by pizzicato cello but the melody rises again, alternating
with the quieter theme, until it quietens as it leads into a vibrant Allegro, un po’ concitato that is constantly
varied with some very fine playing from this Quartet. There is a quiet, slow
shifting central section that is quite atmospheric as it weaves around. When
the opening theme returns, full of propulsion, it leads to the coda, a lovely
melody against a high held violin note, full of expectation, leading to the Rondo:
Allegro, piuttosto vivace e ben ritmato that has a slightly syncopated rhythmic
theme that rises and falls but with an unstoppable forward momentum. When a
slower, flowing section arrives it is full of pathos and mystery with a
pizzicato cello adding the remnants of rhythm as the music quietly closes.
This is a remarkably fine work played so well by the
excellent Quartetto di Venezia.
With a first rate recording and informative booklet notes,
these are works certainly worth exploring.
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