Alfredo CASELLA (1883-1947)
Orchestral Works - Vol. 2
Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 61 (1937) [26:55]
A notte alta, Poema musicale per Pianoforte ed Orchestra (1917/1921)
[19:53]
Symphonic Fragments fromLa donna serpente (1932) [26:16]
Martin Roscoe (piano)
BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda
rec. Media City UK, Salford, 5 August, 22-23 November 2011
CHANDOS CHAN10712 [73:26]
The Alfredo Casella renaissance continues with this thrilling new recording
by the BBC Philharmonic and their Conductor Laureate Gianandrea Noseda. I
first discovered Casella’s music with CPO’s 2009 recording of
his early tone poem Italia and Symphony No. 3. Soon after, Naxos
issued four recordings of Casella symphonies and orchestral music in quick
succession, played by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma conducted by Francesco
La Vecchia. Yet it was the 2012 Noseda/BBC Philharmonic recording Symphony
No. 2, coupled with neo-classical suite Scarlattiana that convinced
me that Casella is one of the important Italian composers of the 20th
century. His mastery of orchestration is the equal of his compatriot Respighi,
while his continual experimentation and mastery of differing compositional
styles is similar to Stravinsky. The works present here are drawn from two
stylistic periods in his compositional career.
The CD opens with a riveting premiere recording of Concerto for Orchestra,
written in 1937 and dedicated to “William Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw
Orchestra of Amsterdam on the occasion of the 50th anniversary
of its foundation.” Casella must have seized on the opportunity to write
for an orchestra of such well known virtuosity and musicianship. His score
features writing meant to display the individual and corporate brilliance
of this orchestra. The first movement begins with driving motor rhythms, featuring
disjunct, non-legato writing for the winds. This contrasts with melodic material
for the strings that struggles to dominate the winds. This is very reminiscent
of Hindemith, and, as Gerald Larner points out on his excellent notes, it
is possible that Casella knew Hindemith’s Concert for Orchestra,
written in 1925. At 3:30, the driving rhythm ceases, and the strings finally
produce a soaring melody that belies Casella’s Italian heritage. The
anxious motor rhythm quickly reasserts itself, the string’s melody again
subsumed by the wind writing, until the music at 6:30 reaches another moment
of repose. The movement ends as these two conflicting musics arrive at an
uneasy truce.
The second movement is an eight-measure chromatic Passacaglia, introduced
by the lower strings. The passacaglia repeats 14 times, with continuous variation
by other sections of the orchestra. As expected the variations become increasingly
complex, arriving at a tam-tam laden climax at 3:14. The passacaglia theme
then moves into the upper strings, and the music becomes calmer and more mysterious,
with some ravishing playing by the BBC Philharmonic, especially the forlorn
trumpet solo at 4:54. A variation featuring gorgeous writing for the first
violin follows, the music winding down to almost nothing, leading into a canonic
variation between upper and lower voices. The orchestral timbre is a kaleidoscope
of color, giving several members of the orchestra a moment to shine. The music
makes a half-hearted attempt to return to its opening frentic music, but this
energy gives way to the prevailing tranquil mood, the movements ending with
a soft chord played by the flutes. This mood is immediately dispatched by
the sharp downbeat that begins the final movement, again featuring rhythmically
vigorous, disjunct writing that never pauses for a breath. The movement ends
in joyful optimism, surely intended to bring an audience to its feet. Why
do we never hear this music in the concert hall?
The next work, A notte alta, a “Poema musicale per Pianoforte
ed Orchestra” was originally written for piano solo in 1917 . Casella
dedicated it to Yvonne, his second wife, with whom he started a relationship
in Paris when she was his student - and when he was already married. Yvonne
became his second wife after the first marriage was annulled, and Casella
orchestrated the work during their honeymoon. The programme note is not included
in the liner notes, but Larner does write that the music is about “two
lovers at night,” which has an obvious parallel with Schoenberg’s
Verklärte Nacht. The opening is laden with mystery, descending
chords over a throbbing bass line, that in turn lead into chords of open fifths
moving in parallel motion. It is hard not to hear the influences of Enescu
and Ravel in this music, both of whom were classmates of Casella at the Paris
Conservatoire. Strangely, for a piece dedicated to his new bride, the music
suggested to me that things do NOT work out well for the couple. This piece
appeared on one of the Naxos recordings done by Orchestra Sinfonica de Roma,
with pianist Sun Hee You. While the Naxos recording has a strong sense of
atmosphere, and You’s playing strikes me as equally fine to Marin Roscoe’s
here, La Vecchia allows momentary losses of tension. Noseda’s handling
of the piece’s many transitions is more organic and natural sounding.
Additionally, the Chandos recording is more opulent that what Naxos provides
for the Italians.
The recording closes with Symphonic Fragments from “La donna serpente”.The
opera, which premiered in 1932, has a convoluted plot that Casella readily
acknowledged had a kinship with the fairy tale operas of Rimsky-Korsakov.
In 1932 Casella was firmly in his third and final neo-classical stage, and
many parts of this music displayed a sharpness and transparency of texture
that reminded me of Nielsen’s Maskarade. Throughout its 26 minute
duration I often heard a passage that reminded me of a widely divergent list
of composers, including Richard Strauss, Puccini, Stravinsky, Respighi, Vivaldi,
Mozart, and the above-mentioned Nielsen. Yet a clear, individual voice still
emerges and I am once again dumbstruck by how engaging and wonderful this
music is.
The orchestra plays its collective heart out, and the Chandos recording is
stunning in its realism and impact. I was thrilled to see that the CD Cover
states “Orchestral Works: Volume 2.” I eagerly await future release
from these performers.
David A. McConnell
Engaging and wonderful music with the orchestra playing its collective heart
out. Stunning realism and impact.
see also review by Ian Lace (June 2012 Recording of the Month)