Website: www.flagello.com
This is the second
Flagello disc from Naxos. The first,
reviewed
here, included the hyper-romantic
First Symphony. Like many another Flagello
recording project this disc is due to
Walter Simmons whose passionate yet
objective advocacy for a generation
of unfashionable American composers
should be a matter of nationally treasured
pride in the USA. You can read more
about six of 'his' composers in the
book "Voices in the Wilderness" (Scarecrow
Press) an invaluable read for those
with a sense of adventure in this repertoire.
review
Flagello was born in
New York City. The precocious young
man soon came under the wing of another
American late-romantic with Italian
roots, Vittorio Giannini and studied
with him at the Manhattan School of
Music. In 1985 after many years as a
composer and conductor he began to suffer
from a degenerative illness and survived
in tragic musical silence another nine
years.
Going by the early
Piano Concerto No. 1 Flagello's
music is that of a tortured soul. Welts
and wounds are exposed and the pain
communicated. This is music of grandstand
torment. The hyper-emotionalism and
consistent heat of the writing leaves
the listener suspended between Rachmaninov
(Piano Concerto No. 3), Barber (the
Essays) and Miaskovsky. As ever these
are crude approximations but will give
some idea of the realms of Flagello's
expression. Flagello has no truck with
trendy dissonance. He could not help
making himself an outsider by writing
a piano concerto like this in 1950.
Tatjana Rankovich knows
Flagello's music very well having recorded
the other two concertos for Artek review
She relishes and rejoices in the frankly
gorgeous melody of the Andante. The
sparky and triumphant (4:40) finale
will delight Rachmaninov admirers. Unusually
for a rare piano concerto this movement
maintains a consistency of mood with
all that has gone before.
Dante's Farewell
is a volatile operatic scena,
corrosively assaulting the senses, fulminant
and accelerant in one. The style can
be related to the superheated arias
in Barber's grand opera Antony and
Cleopatra. Susan Gonzalez sings
this music with affection and flaming
emotion. The text is by Joseph Tusiani
and recounts, from the viewpoint of
Gemma, Dante's wife, the great Italian
poet's nightmare dilemmas and emotional
angst. The words are printed in full.
The orchestration was made at the request
of the Flagello estate and is by Anthony
Sbordoni. Knowing more than a few of
Flagello's other works this adaptation
strikes me as completely consonant with
the authentic Flagello style and spirit.
The Concerto
Sinfonico is Flagello's last
completed work. Typically it confronts
and articulates torment and beauty;
listen to the harp and celesta backdrop
at is 5:10 in the first movement which
prepares the way for the exultation
of 6:23 onwards. The work is lent vigour
and grit by a certain stamping energy
slightly redolent of William Schuman.
Towards the end of the movement a vengeful
hunt seems to drive the music onwards
to a destination that is part abyss
and part triumphant apotheosis. It's
powerful stuff. The quartet act as hortator
and participant. There is no sense of
separation or commentatory role. It
was first performed by the Amherst Quartet
with the Buffalo Phil conducted by Semyon
Bychkov in November 1985.
You will know by now
whether this music is for you. It merits
a wholehearted endorsement.
Rob Barnett
Tatjana Rankovich (piano) 
