Martucci tended to
write with greater panache and effusion
for his own instrument, the piano, than
for the violin. It makes the vogue for
his Second Piano Concerto the more explicable
and, indeed, ASV’s championship of his
orchestral music has brought the body
of it to widespread international attention.
The violin works here, however, are
slighter.
The Sonata was written
when he was eighteen and is full of
youthful lyricism, a degree of academicism
and a healthy dose of Schumann, always
a compositional lodestar for Martucci.
The slow movement is laced with pizzicati
though the finale, as so often, is rather
conventional and derivative. The Tre
Pezzi were written over a decade later,
in the same year in fact as Franck’s
Violin Sonata. The first adds Brahmsian
figuration to Schumannesque lyricism
and is serenely untroubled. The second
is more pensive and the third is warmly
ripe in its romanticism. The last of
Martucci here is the salon-esque Melodia.
It’s a quirk of fate
perhaps that for many years Martucci
was seen rather more as Respighi’s composition
teacher than as a composer in his own
right but it’s not inappropriate of
course to bracket them thus together.
The pupil’s Cinque Pezzi date from the
first decade of the twentieth century
and inhabit the light genre. Those expecting
the more mature and violinistically
intriguing Respighi should not bring
excessive expectation – these are salon
style and very effective. They’re written
very much in morceaux, Salut d’amour
vein. The Humoresque is the pick of
the bunch – nostalgic, lyrical, with
some fluttery figuration to add a bit
of zest to the violin line. Finally
the 1901 Sei Pezzi, which are similarly
pleasant and unambitious. Respighi’s
gift for melody will always rise above
generic material however and his handling
of the Waltz is admirably amusing.
So some fairly lightweight
things here. They’re played with commitment
and just the right kind of discretion.
Both pianists are supportive – Spada
accompanies for the Respighi – and violinist
Bonussi is attuned to the genre. There
are times when his slow vibrato is a
hindrance – it makes the Berceuse from
the Cinque Pezzi sound as if it’s played
on a viola and he could certainly vest
more tone colours to enliven these works
with more glint – but he’s adroit and
musical. Pretty reasonable notes as
well – an enjoyable, relaxing recital.
Jonathan Woolf
see also
Giuseppe
MARTUCCI
(1856-1909) Sonata
for Cello and Piano op. 52 (1880) Due
Romanze op. 72 (1890)Tre Pezzi op. 69
(1888) Ottorino
RESPIGHI (1879-1936) Adagio
con variazioni * (transcribed cello
and piano 1921) 
Arturo Bonucci (cello) Antonio Bacchelli
(piano) Pietro Spada (piano) * Recorded
in Rome, December 1991 (Respighi) and
October 1988 (Martucci)
ARTS 47137-2 [77.21] [JW]
A
well considered pairing. The works are
of a commensurately higher level than
the rather salon-inspired examples to
be heard in the sister volume. ... see
Full Review
