Giovanni BOTTESINI (1821-1889)
String Quartet no.1 in B flat, op.2 [22:04]
String Quartet no.2 in F# minor, op.3 [17:32]
String Quartet no.3 in D, op.4 [20:50]
Quartetto Elisa (Duccio Beluffi (violin); Gabriele Bellu (violin); Leonardo
Bartali (viola); Giovanni Lippi (cello))
rec. Benedictine Abbey of Badia a Pacciana, Pistoia, Italy, September 1996.
DDD
DYNAMIC DM8012 [61:23]
As the recording date suggests, this disc is a re-issue, originally released
by Dynamic in 1998. Dynamic's website is notoriously unhelpful, and there
is no indication as to why this has been re-released at this particular time,
other than that it constitutes Volume 12 in a series entitled 'Delizie Musicali'
('Musical Delights'). The original disc is still widely available on the internet.
Nevertheless, for those that missed it the first time, this is a good opportunity
to sample the music of Giovanni Bottesini, the 'Paganini of the double-bass'
- albeit in works without the double-bass! Although he was involved in opera
all his life, both as composer and conductor, Bottesini was one of the few
composers of that era in Italy who also dedicated himself substantially to
other forms, especially chamber music; such a decision being guaranteed to
reduce a composer's public profile, and doubtless income.
Despite the occasional dabble - for example, a quartet in B minor dates back
to the late 1830s - Bottesini did not properly start to devote himself to
composing until he was nearly forty, hence the fact that these quartets, the
first three of eleven in total, carry low opus numbers despite dating from
around 1860.
A contemporary account of Bottesini's playing likened his tone to "a
hundred nightingales caged in his double-bass", suggesting that his music
was very beautiful; and the opening Schubert-like bars of the First String
Quartet confirm Bottesini's unerring ear for enchanting melody and understated
harmony. In fact, Bottesini's music is so instantly memorable that the listener
is drawn to believe that he or she has always known these tunes - a lovely
example is the heart-rending passage about four minutes into the Adagio of
the First Quartet.
The Adagio ends with a simple yet beautiful pizzicato, the effect of which
is spoilt somewhat by the too rapid fading-to-silence - an unnecessary and
frequent sin of the production team on this recording.
The Second String Quartet sounds even more like Schubert, which should
be read as a compliment. The lines are clean, the music uncomplicated yet
sophisticated. Like the op.2 and op.4 works, this one has four movements,
with the slow movement placed third. The jaunty Allegro Spiritoso finale
sounds like a Neapolitan folk dance - indeed, the liner-notes describe the
three works as Bottesini's "Neapolitan" quartets, although 'Sicilian'
might be more accurate, as he was based around this time in Palermo.
The Third String Quartet is probably the finest of the three; the opening
movement is more redolent this time of Beethoven. The claim in the notes that
this work "remains unquestionably Italian" is suspect - not only
for the fact that there were too few Italian quartets around for there to
be a genuinely Italian sound, but also because this is a piece thoroughly
suffused by the Austro-German tradition. Italian inflections are only really
noticeable in the short Scherzo. The serene third movement features a curious
fugue-style central section, and the vivacious Allegro finale sounds
like an updated version of late Haydn.
The Elisa
Quartet has a different violist (Fabrizio Merlini) these days, but otherwise
is still going strong, having built up a substantial repertoire, though not,
as yet, much of a discography. Their sound is warm and elegant, their ensemble
playing adept.
The CD booklet is perfunctory, with brief notes in slightly unnatural translation,
but the sound quality is generally very good in the atmospheric acoustic of
the abbey at Badia - ironically misspelt in the booklet - though there is
a slight left-channel bias.
Bottesini was a talented musician, and this is a disc worth considering if
it can be found at a budget price that makes up for the production shortfalls
and relative short timing.
Byzantion
Bottesini was a talented musician. A disc worth considering if it can be found
at a budget price.