Luigi DALLAPICCOLA (1904 - 1975)
Tartiniana (1951)a [14:43]
Due Pezzi (1947) [12:17]
Piccola Musica Notturna (1954) [8:53]
Frammenti Sinfonici dal Balletto ‘Marsia’ (1942/3, arr. 1947) [20:04]
Variazioni per Orchestra (1953/4) [16:34]
James Ehnes (violin)a; BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda
rec. Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester, 14-16 April 2004
CHANDOS CHAN 10258 [73:07]
In March I enthusiastically reviewed Volume
2 of the Chandos recording of Dallapiccola’s orchestral works. With
some delay, here is Volume 1 - perhaps not submitted for review at the time
of release. Unlike Volume 2 which included works from both ends of the composer’s
career, Volume 1 offers a comprehensive survey of works composed during one
of the most important decades in the composer’s life.
Thus, the earliest work Frammenti Sinfonici dal Balletto ‘Marsia’ was
composed in 1947. In fact Dallapiccola composed his only ballet score in 1942-1943
to a scenario based on the well-known legend of Marsyas who challenged Apollo
who has him flayed alive. The very title of the orchestral suite is somewhat
deceptive in that these fragments actually represent some two-thirds of the
complete ballet score, so that one may have a fairly good idea of what the
ballet was like. The music is still redolent of some older composers such as
Ravel, Stravinsky and even Respighi, but there is already much of great quality
in this far from derivative score. There are many beautiful episodes indeed
in this colourful and superbly crafted score that has one wondering why such
marvellous music is not heard more often.
In 1946 Dallapiccola made sketches for a score to accompany a documentary film
on Piero della Francesca that did not materialise. He then reworked some of
this material into Due Studi for violin and piano in 1946/7.
These were then elaborated for full orchestra as Due Pezzi. Unlike
the Frammenti Sinfonici, the music is already twelve-tone orientated.
The first movement is a slow, ghostly Nocturne whereas the second one Fanfara
e Fuga is a more energetic working out of material heard in the preceding
movement.
Piccola Musica Notturna is probably one of Dallapiccola’s
best-known works. It is an atmospheric Nocturne whose predominant dreamy mood
is briefly shattered by brief outbursts. It is interesting to note that the
composer made a version for eight players some time later, i.e. in 1961, which
I find less successful because much of the music rests on the strings which
are reduced to a string trio in the chamber version so that much of the mysterious
nocturnal mood is lost.
In 1952 during a trip through Latin America Dallapiccola composed Quaderno
Musicale di Annalibera, one of his most important works
for piano. Quaderno is in fact a theme and variations of some
sort since the entire score is based on a row heard at the outset. The composer
considered Quaderno as his most rigorous twelve-tone score (at
the time of composition). In fact Quaderno may also be experienced
as an example not only of twelve-tone writing but also as a study in brevity
and in aphorism: the eleven sections are all quite short. Actually the longest
(Variazione I) ticks at a little over three minutes while the shortest (Variazione
V) plays for twenty-two seconds. Nevertheless the composer succeeds in suggesting
a huge range of moods and expressions over such short time-spans. Not a single
note is wasted and everything is said with a minimum of means. The orchestral
version under the title of Variazioni per Orchestra was completed
to fulfil a commission from the Louisville Orchestra. The orchestral version
retains most of the original piano version but it goes without saying that
the masterly scoring does add some considerable weight and variety when compared
to the black and white piano version. Variazioni per Orchestra is
a splendid object lesson in scoring as well as a wonderful orchestral work
that hugely repays repeated hearings. This is the kind of work that grows on
you with repeated hearings.
These performances cannot be faulted and neither can the superb recording which
does full justice to the many felicities in Dallapiccola’s masterly orchestral
scoring. This pair of recordings of Dallapiccola’s orchestral music will
certainly help music-lovers in considering or reconsidering their opinion on
Dallapiccola’s music. It may sometimes be austere and ‘difficult’,
will probably never become popular but is nevertheless well worth the effort
for the rewards are priceless. I wish now that Chandos and Noseda might be
persuaded to record Dallapiccola’s works for chorus and orchestra such
as the impressive Canti di Liberazione and Requiescant -
the latter having never been recorded before to the best of my knowledge.
Hubert Culot