Alexandre Tansman - Works for Solo Guitar Vol. 2 (Andrea de Vitis)

Information

Composer: Alexandre Tansman

• Inventions (Hommage à Bach)
• Hommage à Chopin
• Ballade 'hommage à Chopin'
• Suite
• Prélude et interlude
• Variations sur un thème de Scriabine
• Pièce en forme de passacaille
• Pezzo in modo antico
• Deux Chansons populaires

Andrea de Vitis, guitar

Date: 2020

Label: Naxos

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Review

A list of Segovia’s favorite 20th-century composers would certainly find Manuel Ponce in first place, Castelnuovo-Tedesco second, and third place occupied by at least four select candidates: Tansman, Moreno-Torroba, Turina, and Villa-Lobos. The criterion is simple: all you have to do is look at the number and length of the works by each author which the great maestro played. He performed almost the entire opus for guitar by Ponce; a fair number of pieces by Castelnuovo-Tedesco, plus his first Concerto and his Quintet; and a number of works by the others, who were less prolific. Even though Tansman was very fond of Segovia, he was almost a victim: he was able to hear the “Cavatina” and the “Suite in modo polonico” but none of his three Concertos nor his other – numerous and noteworthy – compositions for solo guitar.

Nonetheless, this lack of enthusiasm didn’t negatively influence the future of Tansman’s legacy and this is the third generation of guitarists who not only have reinterpreted the “Cavatina” but who are also exploring everything else the Polish-French maestro wrote, perhaps foreseeing that future interpreters will pay more careful and generous attention to him.

An excellent response to Tansman’s musical message is offered by the young guitarist Andrea De Vitis, who has recorded two CDs (Naxos 8.573983 and 4) entitled “Alexandre Tansman/Complete Works/for Solo Guitar.” The two tracklists of this “unabridged version” present very distinct characteristics and I find it opportune to comment on them rather than on the individual tracks.

First of all, De Vitis’ work is based on the original manuscripts – facsimiles of which are partially reproduced in the Bèrben edition of posthumous works, and the rest of which were recovered through his research in the Tansman archive in Paris – and he has done away with the revisions (with or without interposed fingering). Governed by solid and coherent criteria, this interpretation of Tansman shows no sign of that hesitant eclecticism (“I borrowed a bit from here and there, mixing Segovia’s solutions with my own…”) which makes a piece totter even before it is placed on the music stand. Thus, this Tansman is clear, compact, and, in its independence, original: all you have to do is listen to the first piece of the diptych “Preludio e Interludio” to appreciate the interpreter’s ability to proceed along a personal pathway which is well-defined and convincing.

This standpoint also sheds light on the difficult structure of one of Tansman’s cornerstones of guitar music, the “Suite in modo polonico.” In the first of the two CDs, De Vitis proposes the “Tre danze,” which can finally be admired, even though, ultimately, it is impossible to understand why they were deleted from the Suite in Segovia’s rendition.

All this occupies the surface of the facts. Instead, what is less evident – more subtle and elaborate – is Andrea De Vitis’ interpretative vision. On the one hand, he initially seems to join the small group of sophisticated imitators, not only of Segovia but of what can by now be considered a sort of Tansman “koine.” Instead, a more careful evaluation reveals that, benefiting from a mastery and technique inherited from the past, De Vitis constructs his own interpretation and avoids all prescriptions and models for the guitar: if we must search for affinities, we need to venture into the realm of the piano. At any rate, everything his sound transmits isn’t limited to the category of lovely and pleasant but constantly strives to trace forms that are drawn with extreme clarity. Thus, his ability not only occupies the transient moment but instead extends throughout the entire piece, creating a small construction in which every acoustic object has its own place and a precise function in motion: it’s one thing to devise nice effects, it’s quite another to use them to guide the listener toward a comprehension of that which cannot be represented in the score. The evocative and allusive musical world of Tansman’s music needs this excavation, otherwise it could seem paltry. Instead, it can truly be said that no one in the field of compositions for guitar has been able to produce more from such a Franciscan lexical legacy than the Polish maestro. De Vitis has understood this world to perfection and he offers us a polished and luminescent image of it, all the while maintaining the equilibrium of an old sage. We applaud him for what he has done and for what he is sure to do. Another “unabridged” release featuring the three Concertos? In my opinion, all he needs to carry out a project like this is a very good orchestra and a worthy director. I hope we won’t have to wait too long.

— Angelo Gilardino

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Alexander Tansman (12 June 1897 – 15 November 1986) was a Polish-born French composer. Born in Łódź to Jewish parents, he studied piano, composition and conducting before earning a law degree from Warsaw University. After moving to Paris in 1919, he gained recognition as a pianist and composer, influenced particularly by Stravinsky and Ravel. His international career included performances and tours across Europe, Asia and America. During World War II, he fled to Los Angeles with his family. Although he continued composing prolifically after returning to Paris, his neo-Classical style gradually fell out of favor.

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Andrea De Vitis (born 1985 in Rome) is a guitarist and educator. Trained by renowned teachers such as Leonardo De Angelis and Oscar Ghiglia, he has won over 40 competitions, including Guitar Masters (Poland) and Forum Gitarre Wien (Austria). Recognized with three "Golden Guitar Awards", he has performed globally in prestigious venues and festivals. De Vitis is also a sought-after teacher, giving masterclasses at top institutions and currently serving as Professor of Guitar at the Mozarteum University Salzburg. His recordings for Naxos include acclaimed albums of Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Alexandre Tansman.

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