This CD serves to demonstrate
on the one hand the static nature of
the development of Italian organ building
in the 18th century, and
on the other the descent of Italian
organ music in the 19th century
into the operatic style dominant in
Italian music in general at the time.
It is extraordinary to consider that
the pair of organs recorded here, built
in 1757 and 1785 follow basically the
formula applied 250 years earlier and
indeed up to 100 years and more later.
Each has a single keyboard with a ripieno,
(mixtures divided into their component
ranks), a Voce Umana, narrow scale flutes
and in this instance, as the organs
are essentially in the Venetian character,
also Cornetti (narrow scaled) and Tromboncini.
The organ ‘in cornu Evangelii’ was built
for the church by Gaetano Callido in
1785, and the organ ‘in cornu Epistolae’
by his student Pietro Nacchini (actually
Petar Nakic) in 1757. The former was
moved to this church in 1981, until
this time the ‘cornu Evangelii’ had
only a non-speaking organ façade.
These are interesting organs then, housed
in a church further noted for its many
works of art, but unfortunately possessing
a rather meagre acoustic.
Sadly the music is
not so interesting. The Cherubini sonata
proves the most well-wrought work. The
sorry decline of Italian organ music
into the banality of sub-Donizetti is
rather too clearly illustrated. One
Sonata of Giuseppi Busi would have been
interesting, four is at least three
too many, (by this time the horses are
really whirling around the carousel
...). Luigi Celeghin and Bianka Pezic,
the latter an ex-student of the former
at the St Cecilia Conservatory in Rome,
play well, with admirable co-ordination
between the two instruments, though
occasionally their touch proves rather
unsubtle, heavy and/or abrupt for the
acoustic, and for the organs to sound
optimally.
However, despite this
CD’s lack of great music, it is difficult
to be too critical. This is, after all,
the music for these organs. And these
are interesting organs which deserve
to be recorded. So buy this, especially
considering the price. Naxos’s concept
is such that the disc has a rightful
place in their extensive and very well
planned ‘Organ Encyclopedia’. You might
not want to listen to it too often,
but it is a valuable reference piece.
Chris Bragg
Luigi Celeghin, Bianka Pezic, organs