Mario CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO (1895-1968)
Concerto italiano, Op.31* (1924) [31.38]
Violin Concerto No. 2, Op.66 (1931) I Profeti [31.27]
Tianwa Yang (violin)
SWR Symphony Orchestra, Baden Baden and Freiburg/Pieter-Jelle de Boer
rec. Rolf Böhme Saal, Konzerthaus, Freiburg, Germany, 2012
*world première recording
NAXOS 8.573135 [59.54]
While the
Second Violin Concerto by Castelnuovo-Tedesco is
familiar from the recording made by
Jascha Heifetz, who gave the first performance and to
whom the work is dedicated, this disc also offers the first concerto in the
shape of the
Concerto italiano. Although the latter was also
espoused by Heifetz it has never been previously recorded. The coupling
seems logical and it is surprising that nobody has seen fit to undertake it
previously.
Having said which, the
Concerto italiano is a pleasant piece of
neo-classicism which lacks the sheer sense of passionate exploration which
the listener finds in
I Profeti. The classical influence is clearly
Vivaldi rather than Bach as espoused by the more northerly practitioners of
the style. The concerto bubbles along pleasantly, developing quite a
romantic atmosphere which at times recalls Respighi. It is a most enjoyable
listen, and does not deserve total neglect but it is not a lost masterpiece.
Nonetheless we should be grateful to Naxos for providing this interesting
coupling and the music will be enjoyed by more than just Castelnuovo-Tedesco
fans. Naxos have already done proud by them, issuing among other extreme
rarities two discs of the extraordinarily interesting Shakespearean tone
poems (
Volume 1 ~
Volume 2), one of the extensive piano cycle
Evangélion which I
reviewed last year, and another one of the
composer’s songs (Marco Polo 8.223729). All of these are well worth
exploration, and I am sure that there are plenty more worthwhile scores
where these came from.
The second concerto, with its subtitle
I Profeti referring to
various Old Testament prophets, is however a major work in its own right
which deserves much wider circulation. The music surges and throbs with a
romantic passion which recalls Bloch’s
Schelomo in its general
mood. The fact that the idiom was subsequently taken up with enthusiasm by
the composers of Hollywood Biblical epics makes the results nonetheless
exciting. The very opening conjures up a sense of mystery, but the music
encompasses a wide range of moods including elements which sound almost like
folksong — as in the first movement at 5.05. The whirlwind finale is perhaps
too light-hearted as a portrait of the tempestuous and curmudgeonly Elijah,
but in purely musical terms it is a delight; and the slow
Jeremiah
movement has a real sense of engagement with its mournful subject.
The performances, excellently played by both soloist (Tianwa Yang fresh
from her
Sarasate series) and orchestra, need not fear invidious
comparisons with Heifetz; and they are much better recorded, with a more
natural perspective. The Heifetz recording remains in the catalogue — it has
tended to come and go over the years. There are three others currently
listed including one taken from a live performance by Itzhak Perlman -
reviewed by Rob Barnett for this site. All these are
differently coupled with works by other Italian or Israeli composers, and
the interest of a potential purchaser may well be influenced by these. The
chance to hear both of the Castelnuovo-Tedesco concertos on a single disc —
unique to this issue — makes an irresistible bargain for those who wish to
explore the output of a composer whose music consists of much more than the
various guitar pieces for which he is generally known.
Paul Corfield Godfrey
