Intégrale de l'oeuvre pour piano Vol. 2.

Description

A disciple of Liszt in Italy, Giovanni Sgambati (1841-1914) was best known for his once-popular transcription of the Melody from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. His own music has only attracted sustained interest over the last twenty years or so, and the complete recording that Gaia Federica Caporiccio is about to undertake is only the second of its kind to be completed. The first volume of this complete recording (PCL10216) was warmly received by critics. According to Fanfare magazine, "Gaia Federica Caporiccio plays with appealing freshness, offering finely chiseled melodies and subtle rubato." Caporiccio now turns to some of the works that most reveal Schumann's influence on Sgambati's style, or at least that share the German composer's complex and versatile personality. The eight pieces of Fogli Volanti (Flying Leaves) Op. 12 open with a Romanza that seems straight out of Scenes from Childhood, but Sgambati then reveals his own touch and Italian origins in a gently swaying Canzonetta. The simplicity of the following Idyll is also characteristic of Sgambati, and a subtle balance between German and Italian influences permeates the suite through to the final festivities of its "Campane a festa." On a miniature scale—the six movements each lasting barely more than a miniature—the Alpine Fantasies reconnect with Sgambati's origins, or at least with a rural, idealized version of them. Schumann's ghostly presence resurfaces among the sixteenth notes of the initial Prelude of the Quattro pezzi di seguito before a spirit of commedia dell'arte takes over the "Vecchio menuetto." The slow movement of the suite is composed as "Nenia," named after an ancient Roman funeral chant. The Poetic Melodies are lighter in texture, while the five-movement Suite, Op. 21, reveals a most Lisztian Sgambati, with undulating figuration that will test any virtuoso pianist. Gaia Federica Caporiccio's pianistic skill and dedication help restore Sgambati's reputation; her essay, written in the booklet, completes this passionate work, an essential addition for any piano collector.