Giuseppe MARTUCCI (1856-1909)
Piano Trio No 1 in C major, Op.59 [39:18]
Piano Quintet in C major, Op. 45 [38:23]
Piano Trio No 2 in E flat major, Op.62 [50:20]
Momento musicale in B-Flat Major [3:24]
Minuetto [5:19]
Georg Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Minuetto, Musetta & Gavotte (transcr. string quartet, Martucci) [5:04]
Quartetto Noferini/Maria Semiraro (piano)
rec. Bartok Studio, Bernareggio, Italy, December 2014
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94968 [78:01 + 64:30]
After the heyday of composers such as Vivaldi and Boccherini,
throughout the late eighteenth and all of the nineteenth century—and,
for that matter, well into the twentieth century—Italian musical taste
was dominated by opera. Purely orchestral or chamber music was discouraged
in Italy during this period, not least because impresarios and concert managers
were disinclined to commission, promote or schedule anything else. This was
for sound commercial reasons as much as for any other justification. For most
lovers of classical music Respighi is probably the most prominent Italian
composer of purely orchestral works after the operatic era, and even he made
several forays into opera. Any Italian composer who eschewed the operatic
form in the century or so before Respighi was bound to have a somewhat frustrating
career, yet there were just a few who felt the need to widen Italy’s
musical perspectives. Sgambati and Martucci were the two who made the most
impact at the time. Like so many neglected composers, however, their music
has only relatively recently began to be resurrected.
I first became aware of Martucci’s music when I bought an ASV LP of
his First Symphony, conducted by Francesco D’Avalos, a keen promoter
of the composer’s music. At the time the works seemed to me pleasant
and well-crafted but over-orchestrated and somewhat faceless with no particularly
memorable melodies. Much the same could be said for the composer’s Second
Symphony and both his piano concertos. Now that we have all the composer’s
mature chamber music for piano and strings (apart from a Serenata for string
quartet, sonatas for violin and cello and assorted pieces for either instrument
with piano) represented on this new 2-CD set from Brilliant Classics, I wondered
if smaller forces might have prompted a different level of inspiration.
I started with the Piano Quintet. This work was completed in 1877 and the
fairly high opus number of 45 indicates that the late teenage years of the
(by then) 21-year old composer had been an industrious period. There are the
usual four movements. An initial Allegro giusto well and truly belies
the designation. The work opens with a gentle and captivating, shimmering
passage but continues too much in this vein, interspersed with even more serene
pastoral passages. The subsequent tranquil Andante has a slightly
less gentle central section but is in very much the same mood as the first
movement, and there is an unfortunate lack of variety. Fortunately, there
follows a mischievous Scherzo, although that almost becomes motionless
before it jolts back into life, only to finish. The Finale is probably
the most memorable movement, dominated by the piano, but it is all a bit insipid.
In a brief review of an Aura disc of the Quintet (review)
Rob Barnett mentioned being reminded of Widor’s chamber music in places,
or even music of the next generation of French and Austrian composers (Vierne
and Schmidt, amongst others). Schmidt certainly comes to mind in so far as
what little there is for the piano to do could largely be played with one
hand (a frequent characteristic of Schmidt’s piano chamber music). Anyway,
despite its limitations this piece earned Martucci the top prize of the annual
competition of the Società del quartetto di Milano in 1878.
The First Piano Trio of 1882, Martucci’s Op. 59, was actually his second
essay in the medium (there having been an early Piano Trio of 1869, written
when the composer was all of thirteen) but it does not strike me as a particularly
mature utterance. It also opens with a movement designated Allegro giusto
and this is almost as gentle as its counterpart in the Quintet. I suppose
one can vaguely hear the influence of Brahms but the music has little development
worthy of that great name. It meanders with a theme reminiscent of Wieniawski’s
“Legende” and erupts for a brief bluster twice in the middle before
sidling to a quiet close. Fortunately, there follows a light-hearted Mendelssohnian
Scherzo with a very simply-harmonised trio—possibly suggestive
of rustic bagpipes—which provides a welcome contrast. Back to a gentle
third movement Andante con moto, led by the cello, where we are treated
to a mildly disturbing chromatically-developed central section. The jaunty
and busy Finale explores distant keys to a rather greater extent
than elsewhere before returning to the home key. This trio also won the annual
competition of the Società del quartetto di Milano. Presumably there was little
competition.
The Second Piano Trio in E flat was composed in the following year. It also
opens with a vaguely Brahmsian gentle Allegro with notably contrapuntal
interplay in the development section. The following Scherzo starts
rather like Morse code with the initial dotted rhythm and its repeated clash
of G and F sharp but, although this is not developed in the same vein, the
music is quite arresting. Moreover, some tonal uncertainties follow, surrounding
a mildly mysterious trio section. By contrast the material of the third movement,
Adagio, is actually developed in a central Animato section;
it even has a passage quasi Cadenza before the return of the opening
tempo. The finale, an Allegro vivace, opens with a bouncy melody
in the piano with a contrasting Meno Allegro in triple time making
two appearances. This has the effect of providing a combined second scherzo
and finale. In fact, the Scherzo theme of the second movement—together
with the opening melody of the Adagio—are both quoted as the
trio draws to a close. If the Quintet sprawls a bit, this Trio is positively
effusive. The first and last movements in particular could beneficially have
been significantly cut, but I suspect that the musicians here take the first
movement too slowly.
This is not the first appearance on disc of the quintet, which turned up on
a Claves disc (Giovane Quartetto Italiano/Borciani) coupled with what sounds
to me like a much too slow performance of the First Piano Trio (review)
and on Dynamic (by the Ex Novo Ensemble) coupled with Respighi’s Piano
Quintet. Both the trios have also appeared in performances by the Trio Mezzena-Bonucci
(probably no longer available) and, more recently, by the Trio Vega (review).
I sampled snatches of some of the competing discs but there was nothing sufficiently
different to justify listening at greater length. The Claves performance of
the Quintet sounds pretty similar, although the overall duration is about
10% less, so this may be due to observance of a repeat on the present disc.
That said, performances on the present discs are on the leisurely side. The
Vega Trio on Naxos takes the first movement of the Second Trio at a much faster
speed—very much to its advantage—and is slightly faster elsewhere
as well. The present pianist, Maria Semiraro, is pretty reliable and the Quartetto
Noferini is generally acceptable. Even so, the quartet members playing the
strings in both Trios 1 and 2 lack commitment (difficult to achieve at the
generally leisurely tempi adopted). There were occasions when I was mildly
concerned about uningratiating string tone. Unfortunately, in this kind of
repertoire, one cannot really expect top performers. The short pieces for
string quartet that fill out the second disc do not amount to very much but
are given reasonably sympathetic performances anyway.
The recorded sound is luminous. It is all to the good except that it sometimes
sounds in the gentler passages, of which there are many, as though the piano’s
sustaining pedal has been over-used. The second disc is notably more closely
recorded than the first.
Booklet notes are readable and go on at length about Martucci’s career
and times, although there is an irritating lack of information about the actual
works on the two discs.
So, a bit of a curate’s egg, largely confirming my limited expectations
of this composer. (No wonder the Italians stuck to opera!) The music for quartet
alone really does not justify completists going for this set. From the little
I have heard of them, the competing readings of the Trios (Naxos) and Quintet
(Dynamic) are probably preferable.
Bob Stevenson
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