Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936)
Complete Piano Music - Volume 2
Piano Sonata in A minor, P4b [21:44]
Fuga reale a 3 voci in C major, P23a* [3:07]
Presto in F major, P4d* [2:32]
Allegro da concerto in B minor, P10 [3.55]
Suite no.1 in G major, P22 [11:00]
Scherzo in B flat major, P4c* [2:35]
Preludio con fuoco in B flat minor, P23 [1:34]
Sei Prezzi per pianoforte, P044 [21:14]
Giovanna Gatto (piano)
rec. 27 February 2021, Acustica Studio, Lottstetten-Nack, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
* First recordings
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0605 [67:44]
I much enjoyed part one of this survey of Respighi’s piano works, played by Giovanna Gatto (review) and now, I’m pleased to say that I am able to continue the set. After what was promised in the opening CD, I was a little surprised to find that the disc contained no transcriptions of Respighi’s orchestral works, as this recording continues with more interesting short piano works from various parts of the composer’s life.
As with the first disc, the first three tracks here are taken up with a piano sonata – this time in A minor. Like the sonata on volume 1, this has a stormy, dramatic first movement. The opening theme is powerful and, according to the excellent notes, evokes Brahms; I do not disagree. To my ears, it is somewhat reminiscent of his third F minor piano sonata (Op.5). This first movement is the longest work on the disc but it is very well constructed; all the varying themes are linked and lead on neatly into each other. The following ‘Andantino’ is also rather splendid; it starts with a mellifluous opening theme which occurs several times during the five minute or so of its duration. This theme doesn’t develop much but leads to a slightly off-key sounding passage that cleverly resolves into a charming tune. The central part of the movement (starting at 1’41’’) sounds to me like a very slow waltz but there are almost ‘bluesy’ harmonies in here which add to the interest. It’s all rather fascinating. There is ample chance also here for Ms. Gatto to demonstrate her lovely singing tone in the playing, especially in the more difficult-sounding passages around three minutes in. The opening music returns to provide a fitting and emotionally-charged conclusion to the movement. The finale, marked ‘Allegro vivace’ is again Brahmsian with plenty of virtuosity to keep the pianist on her toes. It opens boldly and then quickly moves onto more happy music which has a nice lilt to it. This is soon dispelled and replaced by more powerful, major-key utterances which then herald a return of the opening themes. As the notes point out, Respighi then cleverly introduces a fugal passage which is linked to the main theme of the opening movement and this provides an appropriate ending to this sonata. Wonderful stuff!
Track 4 is a very short little fugue, full of strange modulations and a rather Bachian feeling to it, especially in the closing minute, and it is played spaciously, which makes the music sound reverential. I do like the clarity of the lines here and the three main themes wind around each other most cleverly. Toccata’s clear, sensitive recording really helps with this.
The following piece is even shorter at just over two and a half minutes. The work starts with a strange theme which sounds awkward to play – not that Ms. Gatto has any bother with it. I think this is one of those works where Respighi’s apparent lack of formal piano training comes across – I wouldn’t expect Liszt, Schumann or Rachmaninov to have written something this odd. Nonetheless, it’s a splendid little piece with some clever changes of key. Structurally, the opening phrase returns to provide a quick ending to the piece after an extraordinary and harmonically varied central section with some lovely playing.
It is a shame the Allegro da concerto is not a bit longer as it contains masses of interesting ideas, packed into just shy of four minutes of music. The opening is boisterous but once it has done with this, the middle section is calm and beautiful. As with the preceding ‘Presto’, more powerful music returns to provide an ending to the work, but here the tension of that is all resolved with some clever harmonic twists and a positive, major-key ending. The playing is again wonderful throughout and certainly leaves me wishing the work were longer.
The following short ‘Suite’ (tracks 7 – 11) is absolutely delightful – the opening ‘Vivace’ is sprightly and bound to put a smile on your face. The following ‘Tema’, marked ‘Andantino’ is charming and reminds me a little of Mendelssohn but without the frantic energy. The contrasted second subject from about 35 seconds onwards is utterly wonderful – and fun. There are some interesting off-key harmonies here liberally scattered through the music. The third movement is a slow ‘Sarabande’ and the longest work of the set, putting me in mind of a solemn Baroque pastiche. There are some unsettling harmonies roughly half way through and plenty of echoes of Bach, especially in the ending of phrases. The notes describe the central part of the work as; there is a sadness to the music which makes it seem longer than its short duration. Slightly happier music provides a nice conclusion to this fascinating short piece. I think the word ‘jostling’ could easily be applied to the bouncing following movement; this is more happy stuff to make you smile. As with some items on disc 1, there are hints of the technique that Saint-Saëns used in his 5th Piano Concerto (Egyptian) in the middle part of this mad little piece. It also puts me in mind of some of Alkan’s wonderful miniatures. The work ends with another quick movement, which contains even more Alkan-like hints. This is marked ‘Presto’ and is over in a flash, full of witty tunes and played in a way which indicates that the pianist is having fun.
Track 13 is another short piece, this time a ‘Scherzo’ – set in the generally happy key of B flat major. It has a distinctly jokey lilt and jumps about happily. The left hand has plenty to do as powerful chords emerge from the depths of the piano, only to be dispelled with a disarming simplicity for the central part of the work. There are more lovely scrunchy harmonies here, especially in the middle voicings of the chords and these become more prevalent as the work reaches its loud and powerful conclusion – reminding me slightly of late Liszt. All this witty cleverness is dispatched with aplomb here by Ms. Gatto.
The penultimate work on this disc is another little one – a tiny ‘Preludio’ (a title which I think Respighi must have liked, as he used it numerous times), this time in the powerful key of B flat minor. Here, I think the primary influence could be Chopin and especially some of the figurations found in his Preludes (Op.28) but with a late Scriabin like twist. There is much virtuosity in this little work and it would make an interesting encore in a concert of very late 19th century music. In short, it’s a wonderful piece and is very well played here.
The final work on the disc was composed a little later, dating from the very early years of the 20th century and is another suite, consisting of six pieces. However, it was not originally intended to be performed as a set. It opens with an utterly charming and nonchalant little waltz which inhabits the same sound world as Satie’s “Je te veux”. This is my favourite piece on the disc; it’s just lovely and is played with a suitably jaunty lilt. This work was also issued in a variety of instrumentation and was clearly at one time, very popular. The following ‘Canone’ starts innocently enough before exploding in a powerful blast of sound at about 0’54’’ – the repeated notes and ascending scales here remind me of Alkan once again. This connects to the central part of the movement which is an ecstatic tune which somehow simmers down to the music which we heard at the outset to finish the piece. There is a lot of thematically interesting material packed into a very short space of time here. Next follows a lovely little ‘Nocturne’ with some very strange harmonies from the outset. There is a lot of work for the pianist to do here, and the shimmering accompaniment to the tune is played in such a way that it almost sounds like the strumming on a guitar. The work evolves from something rather mellow to a very powerful central section that includes a lot of leaping about before the opening music returns to calm things down again and lead us to an unexpectedly quiet conclusion. The control, pedalling and phrasing throughout is superb. The ‘Minuetto’ (track 17) is a strange piece, starting in a “once upon a time” way before finding its feet nearly two minutes in. This section is far more unsettled, containing some powerful music and requiring heavy reliance on the left hand, coupled with some interesting and complicated harmonies which add to the interest. The trills at the end of the theme are slightly chilling and inject a sense of mystery. The opening music returns to end the work, albeit in a rather amusing way which sounds as if it stops in the middle of a phrase. There is some wonderful music here and it is played with plenty of aplomb. The following study, marked ‘Presto’ certainly goes along at a fair pace – in places it reminds me of Chopin’s Op.25 no.9 (the “Butterfly” Etude) but with added interesting harmonies which Chopin would never have used. It’s all dispatched with considerable panache and virtuosity. I particularly like way that the music skittishly jumps about the keyboard and the powerful way the theme moves into the bass at various points of the piece. This is another work which I wish were longer. The Suite ends with an interestingly titled ‘Intermezzo-Serenata’ – a graceful little piece which ambles along very pleasantly and contains more superb music and playing It is another little work that proceeds like a short story and is very well told.
The disc is well filled and the cover notes and production values are up to Toccata’s usual high standards. Furthermore, the recorded sound is superb and the playing excellent throughout. This is a disc that I shall be returning to often, as it really is very interesting music. It’s amazing that Respighi was able to cram so much interest into some really short little works. I really hope that there is more original piano music by Respighi waiting to be recorded as this is a fascinating series. I cannot think of another composer who would write in this way for piano – it’s all very strange but really rather wonderful.
Jonathan Welsh
