FELICJA BLUMENTAL : The Italian Collection, Volume 1

Editorial Reviews
Album Description

Felicja Blumental

The Italian Collection, Volume 1

Tracks:

Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Allegro maestoso
Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Adagio non troppo
Viotti Piano Concerto in G Minor - Rondo
Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Allegro assai
Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Largo
Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major - Allegro assai
Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Andantino molto mosso
Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Adagio
Platti Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor - Allegro

Album Description

There is often a tendency to think of composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven as titanic geniuses who entered the world fully-formed, musical heavyweights of such stature that they stand alone in history. But, of course, there were countless composers who enjoyed local and international fame in their lives but have been undeservedly hidden by the long shadow cast by the musical titans. This disc of concertos by Viotti and Platti brings back into the light concertos by two who deserve a place in the pantheon of composers of immense talent, energy and no little influence on some the greats who followed them.

Giovanni Battista Viotti - Piano Concerto in G minor

Viotti is chiefly remembered for elevating performing standards to a high artistic level and as one of the crucial figures in the development of modern violin playing. He was also the first to realise the musical value of Stradivari's violins and to prove as much to his audiences and to posterity. Many of these instruments played and introduced by Viotti himself have been passed down through generations of virtuosi and remain in the hands of today's star players, such as Pierre Amoyal.

Viotti's 29 violin concertos are by far the most satisfying of his works, both artistically and historically. Not only are they inventive vehicles for technical display, enough to test any soloist, but are testament to his brilliant musical imagination. For the first time in this genre, the full resources of the violin and orchestra are gradually being brought into play. Influences from Parisian musical life in the 1780s add operatic drama and symphonic breadth to these concertos. Presented here in a reworking for piano by the German pianist and composer Daniel Steibelt, Viotti's attractive and forceful personality shine through his Concerto No.19 in G minor, composed towards the end of his decade in Paris. The scope is huge for its day: dark, dramatic passages mingle with filigree fingerwork, bold statements and delicate note-spinning reminding us both of Viotti's Classical base and of his influence on Beethoven and his contemporaries - and even, at times, taking us further! , into the dramatic light and shade of the German Romantic spirit of Mendelssohn and Weber

Giovanni Benedetto Platti Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor

Just as Viotti's active musical life was sandwiched between the great composers of the Classical era, so Giovanni Benedetto Platti (before 1692 - 1763) had the misfortune to be around when the titans of the Baroque era - Bach, Handel, Rameau and Domenico Scarlatti - bestrode their age. The goal of most composers at this time was to secure a decent living in the courts of the nobility, and this is exactly what Platti did, moving from Italy to enter the service of the Prince-Archbishop of Bamberg and Würzburg. Little is known of his life before he entered into service in 1722, but there are hints that his teachers may have included both Albinoni and Vivaldi.

At the Prince-Archbishop's court Platti seems to have been a master of a good many trades including singing, playing the harpsichord, violin, cello, flute and oboe in performances of compositions by himself and others. The job of a court musician was, naturally, to reflect the sophistication and respectability of courtly life and the magnificence and munificence of his lord and master. Platti's compositions range from church music, including a masterly Requiem, through numerous concertos to sonatas for various combinations of instruments.

The two keyboard concertos presented here make fascinating listening. They are beautifully wrought three movement pieces where the keyboard is moving toward the Classical concerto's genuine solo role, while their structure and orchestral texture remain with one foot firmly in the Baroque camp. The slow movements display sensitively written parts for the performer which may well serve to illustrate Platti's apparent contact wit

FELICJA BLUMENTAL : The Italian Collection, Volume 1
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FELICJA BLUMENTAL : The Italian Collection, Volume 1

Manufacturer: Brana Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007UXJ42
Release Date: 2005-02-17

Album Description

Felicja Blumental

The Italian Collection, Volume 1

Tracks:

Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro
Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Grave
Manfredini Piano Concerto in B flat - Allegro
Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegro
Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Largo
Paisiello Piano Concerto in F major - Allegretto
Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Allegro
Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Larghetto
Paisiello Piano Concerto in C major - Rondo

Album Description

The Italian Collection Volume 2

While Eighteenth-century Europe was awash with Enlightenment ideas of progess and rationality, of new-found forms of self-expression and self-determination, composers were, by-and-large, still reliant either on the church or royal patrons for a decent living. Even the most enlightened of monarchs continued to wield enormous power, making and breaking careers without pausing for breath. Both composers represented here spent some years at the Russian court of the mighty Catherine the Great where life was not always easy for them, despite being influential figures of their day. Even at this relatively progessive court where intellectual giants like Voltaire and Diderot were welcomed by the self-styled `philosopher on the throne', composers were little more than functionaries, promptly delivering music for a range of purposes: opera to reflect Catherine's wealth and power; occasional pieces to celebrate the Empress; and marches dance music and didactic works for the court's pleasure.

Vincenzo Manfredini
Concerto in B Flat Major
Vincenzo Manfredini (1737-1799) reached the Russian court in St Petersburg in his early twenties after leaving Italy for Moscow with his brother, a noted castrato and teacher. He was soon appointed as maestro di cappella to Pyotr Fedorovich who, on becoming Emperor Peter III in 1762, promoted him to the enviable position of maestro of the Imperial Court's Italian opera company. Peter reigned for only six months as Emperor before being forced to abdicate by his wife, Catherine, who became Empress of Russia and confirmed Manfredini in his position. Despite her many reforms, free-thinking court and links to Europe's great artistic personalities, Catherine the Great was no fan of music, but maintained the opera company for the prestige it brought to her rule. The position proved something of a poisoned chalice for Manfredini, who appears to have made no lasting impression with his operatic and occasional works. And with the arrival of the brilliant opera buffa composer, Baldassare Galuppi in 1765, Manfredini was downgraded to composing ballet music and teaching harpsichord to the heir apparent, Paul Petrovich.
After leaving the court in 1769, Manfredini continued composing operas for a time but was soon devoting most of his time to writing and teaching. His writings reveal a man in tune with Enlightenment thought, grappling with the changing nature of music, the social status of composers and the role music has to play in public life. Although a composer of many operas, he argued for the ascendancy of instrumental music and thus it is fitting that his best known work is the Concerto in B Flat Major. The work shows off the principles of the classical concerto form in a delightful fashion - from the contrasting thrusting and lilting themes of the opening allegro, through a poised, thoughtful slow movement to the finale's bright, punchy dance in duple time.

Giovanni Paisiello
Piano Concerto in F major
Piano Concerto in C major
While Manfredini's influence rested largely in his writings, Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816) became one of the most successful, sought-after and prolific opera composers of his day, producing over 90 stage works in 35 years. Born in Taranto, Italy, he began staging his operas in Bologna in 1764, before moving on to Naples where he managed to complete an astonishing 40 operas in just 10 years. While his music had the approval of the King of Naples, he seems to have lost royal favour through attempting to wriggle his way out of a marriage contract, a misdemeanour that put him in prison for a time.
By 1776, Catherine the Great had stepped in, eager to secure the services of the latest operatic star composer to become her maestro di cappella. So, only 14 years after Manfredini, Paisiello found himself in the same court, under the same monarch and in a similar musical position. However unsympathetic to

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