Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Music for Soprano and Guitar (Joanna Klisowska; Giulio Tampalini)

Information

Composer: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Part I: Songs of Wandering
• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Part II: Songs of Friendship
• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Part III: Of wine, and of the delights of the sons of men
• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Part IV: The World and its vicissitudes
• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Part V: The Transience of the World
• The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Op. 207 - Epilogue
• Ballata dall’Esilio (based on a Lyric by Guido Cavalcanti)
• Arise (from "Cymbaline")
• Seals of Love (from "Measure for Measure")
• Romance del Conde Arnaldos
• La Ermita de San Simon

Joanna Klisowska, soprano

Giulio Tampalini, guitar

Date: 2017

Label: Brilliant

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Review

Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra is a late work written within two years of the composer’s death. Both he and Moses ibn Ezra (1055/1060 – c. 1138) were Jews and both experienced exile: the composer to Hollywood to escape Fascist Europe in 1939 and the Spanish poet to Castille from his home in Granada when it was conquered by Berber Almoravids.

Ibn Ezra’s verses, proclaiming themes that are timeless and universal, are about the human condition, its joys and sorrows and tribulations. The sections and individual songs’ headings are self-explanatory (see end of review). The booklet does not include the songs’ texts which is a pity, not even a reference to a web site that might afford such a facility.

Polish soprano Joanna Klisowska shows considerable empathy with the spirit of these exquisitely conceived and moving songs. She has the most mellifluous tone, delivering consistently perfectly controlled, pointed and affectingly expressive, arching legato lines, so many in high registers. She is marvellously partnered by the imaginative and wholly empathetic playing of the renowned guitarist Giulio Tampalini.

To mention but a few of these songs. The opening song of the first Songs of Wondering section, establishing Spanish rhythms and atmosphere, ‘When the morning of life had passed’ is gorgeously shaped by Klisowska, both she and Tampalini regretful; then in that section’s final song, ‘Wrung with anguish’ they are just that; a troubled, utterance with the guitar striking staccato notes beneath, what one might think, as the soprano’s more readily acceptance. In the next section Songs of Friendship, there is the hauntingly lovely central song – the most substantial of the work – ‘Fate has blocked the way’ with exquisitely rendered partnering of voice and guitar. The third song ‘O brook’ is Tampalini’s. He steals the attention with evoking so realistically the twisting, turning tumbling, hurrying waters. Of wine and the delights of the sons of men is, despite that title, somewhat gloomy in character save for the third sunnier song, ‘The garden dons a coat of many hues’ that suggests a ray of hope and consolation, the artists’ song dancing, tripping lightly along. The World and its vicissitudes section is distinguished by the lovely, comforting invocation, ‘Only in God I trust.’ The second song, ‘The world is like a woman of folly’ has wry humour, a plea to banish the world’s madness. The mood is lighter, rollicking; the Spanish dance rhythms are marked and the guitarist often knocks on the sound board of his instrument for emphasis. The last section, The Transience of the World before the Epilogue has six songs of which ‘Let man remember all his days and ‘I have seen upon the earth’ are memorable. The former has an appealing sort of stately pathos while the latter is a gentle song, almost waltz-like affording the soprano coloratura opportunities.

Of the other items in this programme, the Ballata dall’Esilio is the work of another Italian exile - the 13th century poet Guido Cavalcanti who hailed from Florence. The soprano line is tenderly appealing although one wonders about the morse-code like, signals, the guitar delivers beneath her? A warning? The two Shakespeare songs, composed much earlier than the great Divan, illustrate Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s great enthusiasm for the Bard. The programme ends most engagingly with Romance del Conde Arnaldos and the La Ermita de San Simon. Both were originally composed for voice and piano and were arranged for voice and guitar by the composer. They have in common the early Spanish ‘Canciones’. The former song is a colourful folktale and is a relaxed tender pleading melody with its Spanish rhythms accentuated. They are even more accentuated in the latter song which is more vivacious and light-hearted.

 

— Ian Lace

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Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 — 15 March 1968) was an Italian composer. A student of Ildebrando Pizzetti, he gained recognition in the 1920s but was forced to emigrate to the U.S. in 1939 due to Mussolini's anti-Semitic laws. Settling in Hollywood, he composed concertos for piano, violin, cello and guitar, and wrote overtures for 12 Shakespeare plays. He also set Shakespeare's poems and sonnets to music and composed two Shakespearean operas. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's chamber and piano works are noted for their symphonic scope, while his vocal music reflects the melodic tradition of the Italian school.

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Joanna Klisowska is a Polish soprano specializing in Baroque and Classical music, with additional interests in 19th-century French repertoire, Lieder and contemporary works. She began her musical studies as a violinist in Wroclaw before training in voice, later completing advanced studies in early music in Milan and Trossingen. Klisowska has performed extensively across Europe, collaborating with renowned conductors like Sigiswald Kuijken and Václav Luks, and ensembles such as Collegium 1704 and La Verdi Barocca. She appears regularly at major early music festivals and also teaches at masterclasses.

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Giulio Tampalini is a classical guitarist. He has won prestigious international guitar competitions, including the "Narciso Yepes" and "Andrés Segovia" competitions. Tampalini performs both solo and in diverse ensembles, collaborating with groups like the Teatro alla Scala Soloists. A Warner Classics artist, he has recorded over 25 CDs and played more than 2,000 concerts globally Notable recordings include works by Tarrega, Rodrigo, Gilardino, Villa-Lobos and Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He teaches at the Imola International Academy and the Bergamo Conservatory, and regularly leads masterclasses throughout Europe.

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