Giuseppe Martucci - Piano Works (Alberto Miodini)

Information

Composer: Giuseppe Martucci

• 6 Pezzi, Op. 44
• Novella, Op. 50
• Fantasia, Op. 51
• 2 Notturni, Op. 70

Alberto Miodini, piano

Date: 2016

Label: Brilliant

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Description

The symphonies and tone-poems of Giuseppe Martucci (1856-1909) have retained a place on the fringes of the repertoire outside his native Italy thanks to advocacy by Arturo Toscanini and, latterly, Riccardo Muti.

Martucci was a man of protean talents and unflagging energy, who excelled as a composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and moving force in musical culture. The direction of that force was set against the prevailing operatic scene of contemporary Italy – except, notably, where it intersected with German music. Thus he conducted Brahms, Liszt and especially Beethoven, as well as the Italian premiere of Tristan und Isolde. His own piano music is a continuation of the Lisztian tradition – at least, it becomes so, after flirting with the world of salon music in his early 20s.

The six Op.44 pieces are a much more substantial synthesis of elements from Italian popular culture – the gondoliers’ barcarola, the mule-drivers’ tarantella among them – with a wide-ranging, elaborately contrapuntal and fiendishly virtuosic style which owes much not only to Brahms and Liszt but to the composer’s formidable powers of performance. The Novella Op.50 and Fantasia Op.51 experiment with more delicate textures in the manner of Chopin, and this tendency is further explored in the two Nocturnes Op.70, which move the form into late Lisztian realms of crepuscular harmony and dreamy phrases; the first of these Nocturnes became known in the early years of the last century through an orchestral transcription which was often programmed by Toscanini. The pianist Alberto Miodini has studied these little-known works for years and written the introductory essay for these new recordings. This is his second recording for Brilliant Classics, after a well-received 4CD set (BC94806) of Schubert’s piano miniatures and free-standing pieces such as the Impromptus.

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Giuseppe Martucci (6 January 1856 – 1 June 1909) was an Italian composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. A prodigy from Capua, he studied at the Naples Conservatory from age 11 and was trained in composition by Paolo Serrao. His international career began with a European tour in 1875. Martucci held teaching positions in Naples and Bologna, and became director of the Royal Conservatory in Naples in 1902. He dedicated his entire career to absolute music, which was notable among Italian composers of his era. His works include instrumental music, songs, and the oratorio Samuel, but no operas.

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Alberto Miodini is an Italian pianist. Born in Parma, he studied at the Conservatorio "A. Boito", graduating with top honors, and continued his training with renowned musicians including Dario de Rosa and Paul Badura-Skoda. In 2001, he joined the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop in New York. For over two decades, he has been the pianist of the acclaimed Trio di Parma, winning major competitions and the 1994 Abbiati Prize. Miodini performs both as a soloist and with orchestras, and has recorded extensively, including works by Schubert and Brahms. He teaches piano and chamber music across Italy.

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