Early Baroque gems from Varie Sonate of Giovanni Battista Vitali

For the average person, I think, the term "Italian Baroque" conjures up the music of Vivaldi. But the Italian Baroque really began around 1600, and it took a while for the music -- and the instruments -- to complete the transition from the Renaissance.

What struck me most about this collection of sonatas by Giovanni Vitali is how old they sounded. And by that, I meant stylistically. Vitali played the violini, sort of a transition instrument from the Renaissance bass viol to the modern cello.

The Italico Splendore has both cello and viola da gamba players. Their sonorous sounds give the music a very dark, rich quality. And -- to my ears -- a more than passing similarity to the music of Marin Marais, a younger contemporary of Vitali's.

The sonatas are based on dances. some slow and stately, and others delightfully quick and light. Vitali scored the music for three violins, two violas, and basso continuo. Generally, the basso continuo consisted of a bass stringed instrument and a keyboard. The bass line was always written out. Chord symbols provided a guide for the harpsichordist, who was expected to improvise.

In these works, Vitale makes a note that the middle violin and viola are also ad libitum. This gives ensembles a lot of leeway -- and responsibility -- when performing the music.

Italico Splendore made some very smart and historically informed decisions. They used Vitali's instructions as an opportunity to vary the makeup of the ensemble from sonata to sonata. The result makes for an engaging program, with the character of the music changing from piece to piece.

This is the penultimate installment of Tactus' Vitali series. It's provided a wonderful survey of his instrumental music. I'm curious to discover what works they'll close the series with.

Giovanni Battista Vitali: Varie Sonate, Op. 11, 1684
Italico Splendore
Tactus TC 632206

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalBubble Week 1

Last month, the Classics a Day team came up with a theme to reflect the reality of social distancing. The challenge was to share solo works for unusual instruments -- the kind of instruments best played in social isolation. 

For June, the team is again going with the times. Social bubbles are small groups of people (usually family members) who live together and therefore don't need to maintain distance from each other. So the challenge is to share examples of classical bubbles. That is, duos for unusual instruments best not shared in public. 

Below are my selections for the first week of #ClassicalBubble

06/01/20 Stephen W. Beatty (1938 - ) Duet for Viola and Heckelphone

One instrument's the butt of jokes; the other has a funny name. And yet musically, they both have a beautiful sound, as Beatty demonstrates.

06/02/20 Harry Partch (1901-1974) The Wind for Harmonic Canon II and Bass Marimba

Partch built his own instruments to play his own music based on his own musical scales. The Harmonic Canon has 44 strings and is tuned differently for each piece.

06/03/20 Ricardo Matosinhos (1982 - ) Song without Words, Op. 80a for Tenor Wagner Tuba and Piano

The Wagner tubas were originally built for the composer's Ring Cycle. He was inspired to design the instruments after visiting Adolphe Sax.

06/04/20 Giorgio Mainerio (c.1530-1582) Caro Ortolano for two racketts

The rackett (AKA the sausage bassoon) was a Renaissance double reed. It first appeared around 1575 and was almost completely replaced by the bassoon by 1700.

06/05/20 Leopoldo Francia (1875-1918) Adagio for mandolin duet

Francia was one of the most famous mandolinists of his day. He played and composed in a traditional Italian style.

The Stylish Pastiches of Muzio Clementi

This is an interesting collection of music by Muzio Clementi. It includes three sets of variations, a canon, and a set of style pastiches.

The program opens with Five Variations on a Minuet by Mr. Collick. This six-minute charmer increases in complexity with each variation, but not excessively so. These variations could well be (and were probably intended for) the gifted amateur.

Not so "The Black Joke" with 21 variations. Clementi puts this little tune through some amazing changes. While the melody is always present, the accompanying figures become a virtual catalog of piano technique.

While enjoyable, I found the Musical Characteristics far more entertaining on several levels. Here Clementi presents a little three-part piece in the style of different composers. Each set includes an opening prelude, a cadenza, and a closing prelude.

Clementi ably mimics Franz Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He also includes imitations of Leopold Kozeluch, Austrian Court composer, as well as famed pianist/composers Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel and Johann Baptist Vanhal.

The more familiar you are with these early Classical Era composers, the more fun this music is to listen to. And I think, it also shows the skill of pianist Nicholas Rimmer. Because his performances make Clementi's stylistic imitations clearer.

Clementi's Mozart sounds like Mozart, his Haydn like Haydn, and so on. And Rimmer delivers fine performances of Clementi's other works, too. 

Rimmer plays on an original instrument from Clementi's workshop. That statement comes with several caveats, though. This 1806 piano was restored in the 1970s (the liner notes are vague as to how much was done and how well it was done). Then the instrument was worked on again in 2016.

So yes, it is a pianoforte that Clementi knew, but it might not necessarily sound -- or play -- exactly as he might expect. To my ears, the sound seemed a little tight. There was very little decay, giving the instrument a dry quality. On the plus side, the action was pleasingly silent.

Muzio Clementi: Piano Music
5 Variations on a Minuet by Mr Collick; The Black Joke; Musical Characteristics
Nicholas Rimmer, fortepiano
Naxos

Mieczyslaw Weinberg Sonatas for Cello and Piano

The more of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music I hear, the more complex he becomes. This release features his two sonatas for cello and piano. Each provides a snapshot of his evolving style.

Sonata No. 1, Op. 21 was completed in 1945. The war was ending, and Stalin's regime was just warming up. The sonata's a jaunty, pointillistic work. Weinberg seems to flirt with atonality, without stepping over the edge. Weinberg's music is often compared to Shostakovich's. I didn't really hear it in this sonata. Rather, the music reminded me more of early Prokofiev.

By 1960, the Soviet Union was a much different place. Weinberg had survived several brushes with the authorities. He learned to bury his emotions deep, giving his music an ideologically acceptable veneer. Sonata No. 2, Op. 63 was composed for Mstislav Rostropovich. He premiered the work, with Weinberg at the piano.

It's a technically challenging work although it stays within the bounds of tonality. Rostropovich and Weinberg may have given the definitive performance of this sonata, but Wojciech Fudala and Michal Rot still have plenty to say. They get to the anguished heart of the music, creating an interpretation of exceptional beauty and pathos.

Fudala plays with a warm, sonorous sound. He's especially effective in turning the slow passages into musical soliloquies -- which I think was Weinberg's intent.

The album also includes two solo works. Fulala performs the Sonata for Solo Cello, No. 1, Op. 72. It's a short work (also written for Rostropovich), but a challenging one. Michael Rot plays the Berceuse Op. 1. Weinberg wrote it when he was 16. It's a sunny, simple, and lovely way to end the album.

In the liner notes, the musicians state: "We strongly believe that the artistic value of this repertoire is worth disseminating." I think they've made their case.

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
Wojciech Fudala, cello; Michal Rot, piano
DUX 1545

Franz Krommer Symphonies emulate Beethoven

Franz Krommer lived somewhat in the shadow of Beethoven. In 1813 he replaced Leopold Kozeluch (a rival of Beethoven's) as the Austrian Imperial Court Composer. And that meant his subsequent symphonies, string quartets, and concertos competed with Beethoven's for the same audience.

To my ears, it's easy to hear Beethoven's influence in these works. Symphony No. 6 in D major begins with big, majestic chords that fall away and build again. It reminded me strongly of Beethoven's Second Symphony. The minuetto also has a Beethovenian bounce to it.

But Beethoven's second symphony premiered in 1805, and Krommer's sixth in 1823. By that time, Beethoven had written all but his ninth. So the sound, while in line with Beethoven's also (to me) sounded a little old-fashioned. I suspect, though, that audiences of the day were quite fine with that. By the 1820s they were probably finally able to appreciate early Beethoven.

Krommer's Symphony No. 9 was completed in 1830, four years after Beethoven's Ninth. The symphony still shows strong influence by Beethoven, but here Krommer seems to have been inspired more by Beethoven's 7th (along with key concepts from the third and fifth).

Neither work was cutting edge in its day, but that doesn't mean they are without merit -- or originality. Krommer uses some unusual chord progressions that owe their origins to his native Czechoslovakia. These give the symphonies a fresh sound -- and out of the realm of Beethoven sound-alikes.

The Orchestra della Svizzera italiana directed by Howard Griffiths has a satisfyingly powerful sound. These performances imbue the works with drama and energy. Recommended.

Franz Krommer: Symphonies Nos. 6 and 9
Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
Howard Griffiths, conductor
CPO 555 327-2