Every now and then
one receives a disc of unfamiliar music
and after the initial sense of trepidation
the recording joyously reveals itself
as a breath of fresh air. This fine
release from independent Belgium label
Talent Records contains excellent performances
of three woodwind concertos from the
pen of Italian composer Wolf-Ferrari.
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
was born in 1876 in Venice, Italy. The
son of a German father and an Italian
mother, he spent his life between Munich
and Venice; in Germany longing for Italy
and vice versa. This geographical division
was also the foundation of his creative
existence. It was very early in his
life that Wolf-Ferrari enjoyed great
cultural success, winning international
fame with his choral work La vita
nuova and the opera Le donne
curiose.
Wolf-Ferrari’s output
includes oratorios, choral and orchestral
works, chamber music and songs. He completed
thirteen operas that often drew on idioms
of 18th century music. His three serious
operas are The Garment of Heaven,
Sly and The Jewels of Madonna.
Of his ten comic operas Susanna's
Secret; The Inquisitive Women
and The four Ruffians are the
best known. Of all his operas Wolf-Ferrari
loved most his fairy-tale opera The
Garment of Heaven and the ones most
likely to be encountered on stage and
on recordings are Sly; The
Jewels of Madonna and Susanna's
Secret.
Wolf-Ferrari’s last
years were clouded by the terrors of
the Second World War and its consequences.
Suffering from heart disease, he strongly
dedicated himself once again to his
old love, chamber music. He died of
a heart attack in Venice in 1948.
Although predominantly
known as prolific composer of operas,
Wolf-Ferrari is also highly regarded
for his composition of chamber music
and concertante wind music. Until 1903
he had published only his Serenade
for Strings (1894) and a Sinfonia
da Camera (Chamber Symphony),
Op. 8 and it was not until the 1930s
that he returned to this genre. The
first fruits of this return came in
1932 with the Idillio Concertino
and a year later the Suite Concertino.
The four movement Idillio
Concertino is a fine example of
Wolf-Ferrari’s nearly filmic music and
is composed in a light, late-Romantic
vein. The solo oboe is used more or
less as an equal partner of the orchestra
rather than a pure solo instrument.
The strings are augmented with the bucolic
character of two horns. Belgium oboist
Piet van Bockstal is in remarkable form
and his expressive playing conveys confidence
and immediacy. Van Bockstal skips his
way expertly through the final movement
Rondo, however, it did feel that
a quicker tempo was required for the
Scherzo.
The Suite Concertino
is cast in four movements and consists
of both late-Romantic and neo-Classical
elements. Wolf-Ferrari’s addition of
two horns is subtly employed adding
extra colour to the string sound. It
has been said that the elegant and transparent
style is evocative of Mozart’s famous
serenades. Luc Loubry the Belgium bassoonist
is an admirably poised soloist, conveying
fluency and masterly phrasing. My highlight
of the whole release is Loubry’s accomplished
playing of the short but extremely melodic
Strimpellata - Presto, a
movement that could easily find popularity
if it was used as the theme music for
a television or radio programme.
The Concertino Op.34
dates from 1947 and was Wolf-Ferrari’s
last score, having to wait until the
1960s for its first performance. This
four movement piece displays
many similarities in style and construction
to the Suite Concertino. The
English horn or cor anglais,
as it is also known, is an unusual
choice as a solo instrument. Here Wolf-Ferrari
frequently treats it as an orchestral
instrument rather than as purely a solo
voice. Soloist Piet van Bockstal gives
it a stylish and alarmingly unaffected
reading. I especially enjoyed van Bockstal’s
sparkling and accomplished interpretations
of the outer movements Prelude
and Finale.
Under the expert direction
of Hans Rotman his West Saxony Symphony
Orchestra provides sympathetic and poised
performances. Using the excellent acoustic
of a Leipzig church the engineers have
provided a cool, clear and well balanced
sound quality. Although not without
some errors and omissions the annotation
is interesting and informative.
The Talent Records
label should be proud of this wonderfully
performed and recorded release. Lovers
of late-Romantic music who are looking
for something different are well advised
to investigate these fascinating and
rewarding scores.
Michael Cookson
for
details
Piet van Bockstal (oboe, English horn) 
TALENT RECORDS SACD DOM 2929 90 [63:30]
