Osvaldo COLUCCINO (b.1963)
Attimo, for string quartet (2007) [17:10]
Aion, for string quartet (2002) [18:26]
Eco Immobile, for piano quartet (2002) [8:11]
Talea, for violin and cello (2008) [11:24]
Teatro La Fenice String Quartet (Roberto Baraldi, Gianaldo Tatone
(violins); Daniel Formentelli (viola); Emanuele Silvestri (cello));
Achille Gallo (piano)
rec. Teatro La Gran Fenice, Venice, Italy, 25-26 October 2010.
DDD
NEOS 11130 [55:13]
The front cover promises the 'String Quartets' of Italian composer
Osvaldo Coluccino, but in fact only two of the four works live
up to the bill, the remaining two being a Piano Quartet and
a Duo for violin and cello. On the other hand, none of these
works really bears any resemblance to more traditional forms
- Coluccino is a post-modernist.
That much is evident from a cursory look at the booklet notes.
Coluccino doubles up as a poet, but there is little lyricism
in the theatrical post-structuralist jargon of his notes. Coluccino's
original Italian is obscure enough, and the English translator
must have had a testing time attempting to render such hermetically
sealed language. In fact he does not altogether succeed and
the reader is left to ponder formulations like the following:
"The event regenerates itself from the moment it leaves its
habitual surroundings (whether historical or conceptual), after
which it is transfigured, acquiring a surface sheen on which
sensations are reflected like flashes of light. The sensations
flit past at the maximum speed we are able to perceive. In their
wake comes the sum-total of our experience (which becomes anti-episodic)."
Coluccino goes so far as to quote extensively from a grand master
of metaphysical smoke and mirrors, Gilles Deleuze. Pointedly,
the citation is only available to those who read French, although
as it does not make much sense, little harm is done.
What does emerge in any case from all this is the fact that
Coluccino is a very earnest composer, and this is certainly
reflected in these works. From a sonic point of view they all
explore similar avenues, whatever forces are employed. Coluccino's
music is gossamer, almost ephemeral, flickering in and out of
existence like meaning in a Deleuzean text. It is also very
slow-moving, apt to slide into stasis or short periods of silence.
There is little contrast or differentiation even in the two
parts of Aion. In each work Coluccino's music seems to
float like a creeping mist on a hilltop, disorienting yet not
frightening. Admirers of Luigi Nono should enjoy themselves,
if that is the right word, but others will need to work at their
listening to extract the intellectual secrets locked up in Coluccino's
music.
These are premiere recordings, and kudos to the string quartet
of 'La Fenice' for having the spirit - and the skill - to tackle
these tricky pieces. Sound quality is good, though the recordings
were made at an astonishingly low volume. The digipak case stores
the booklet in a rather fragile cut-out slot. In fact, the cellophane-sealed
review disc came pre-torn at one side of the slot.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
Tricky post-modernist pieces tackled with spirit and skill.