On the 29th of April the IIC will host the second in a series of free “Lunchtime concerts” which will take place between 1.00 and 2.00 pm in the Pavilion room in our premises.
“Sonas Duo”, featuring Francesca De Nardi on the piano and Davide Forti at the cello, will perform challenging pieces from their chamber music repertoire: Brahms’ second sonata in F Major op. 99 and two pieces from Ernest J. Moeran (Prelude e Irish Lament) to pay homage to Ireland as the country who welcomed them, and two pieces from Italian composers (Ferrari-Trecate e Castelnuovo-Tedesco) to remember their origins and the extraordinary Italian literary production between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Free live event at the Italian Istitute of Culture with booking essential.
Programme
- Ernest J. Moeran (1894-1950), Prelude
- Johann Brahms (1833-1897), Sonata per Violoncello e Pianoforte in Fa maggiore op. 99
- Luigi Ferrari-Trecate (1884-1964), Il canto dell’Esule
- Ernest J. Moeran (1894-1950), Irish Lament
- Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968), Figaro
John Moeran (1894 – 1950) was an English composer of Irish origins, whose work was strongly influenced by Irish folk music of which he was an assiduous collector. He studied composition at the Royal College of Music with some of the most important composer of his time, Charles Villiers Stanford and John Ireland. He composed many well-received works. In 1945 he married the cellist Peers Coetmore, who greatly influenced his chamber production.
The Prelude for cello and piano (1941) is a gift to his wife as a ‘keepsake’ whilst she was on tour during the Second World War. Strangely, the first performance of the piece was in Alexandria in Egypt. This is a simple yet profound piece. A broad and lyrical melody in the major key is played over an extremely simple accompaniment, which gives the piece much of its charm.
Other three compositions were to be dedicated to Moeran’s wife: the magisterial and moving Cello Concerto, the Cello Sonata and the Irish Lament, based on a genuine folk song, which will performed later in the programme.
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) is probably one of the most famous composers of the mid-Romantic era. He’s considered both a traditionalist and an innovator and was an inspiration for a generation of composers.
The Cello Sonata op. 99 in F major is surely one of Brahms’ most valid works. Although not everybody was totally convinced by the premiere – it was often criticised for the incredible amount of musical material which requires a lot of instrumental skills from both players – today the Sonata is considered a masterpiece for this kind of ensemble. “In the Cello Sonata, passion rules, fiery to the point of vehemence, now defiantly challenging, now painfully lamenting” the critics wrote in review of early performances. The Sonata is in four expansive movements, which were summarised in the following way by Florence May, one of Brahms’ pupils who eventually become his biographer: “the first broad and energetic; the second touching; the third pas- sionate; the fourth vivacious.”
The first movement is extraordinarily bold, the two instruments pitted against each other in a wild, storm-tossed sea of tremoli. The second movement, Adagio affettuoso, is intense and flows between melancholic and tender moments. The following Allegro passionato is a wonderfully powerful and dark scherzo, full of drama. The last movement is based on a folk tune, almost startling in its lightness of touch, which leaves the listener with a satisfied feeling of a happy ending.
Luigi Ferrari-Trecate (1884 – 1964) is an Italian composer who lived in the first half of the 20th century. He mainly composed for the theatre, and particularly short operas – he used to call them “lyrical fairy-tales”- meant to be performed for children.
The fantastic element is always present in his compositions and we can find it also in the piece which we are playing today. It is called The Exile’s Song and is a short piece inspired by the operatic recitatives, where the composer shows a world of simple yet strong emotions, letting the listener build his own musical journey.
Mario Castelnuovo-tedesco (1895 – 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. Born in Florence, he studied composition with the renowned Italian composer Ildebrando Pizzetti and soon gained national popularity. Being of Jewish origins, the promulgation of Italian racial laws in 1939 forced him to emigrate to the USA, where he got support from conductor Arturo Toscanini, violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, whom the piece Figaro is dedicated. The piece is a concert fantasy is based on the famous aria “Largo al factotum” from Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville”. The theme by Rossini is re-arranged in a even funnier way and the result is a piece full of virtuosity and humor.
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