Petrassi - Quarto Concerto/Bartok - Divertimento/Hoddinott: Scena for Strings/Martin: Etudes/Hartmann: Symphony nr. 4

We are inching our way through the Petrassi Concertos. The Fourth (1954) concludes the first CD. It's a weird work, written for strings only. Again, as with the previous two concertos it is not easy to put exactly the finger on what the weirdness is about. The musical idiom is approachable and relies on a loose and expressive twelve-tone technique. Formally, one senses an interesting combination of compositional rigour and improvisatory flair. The music commences somberly with a questioning, arch-like theme that seems to anchor a quasi-monothematic edifice. After a scherzo-like menacing 'allegro inquieto' the musical fabric starts to disintegrate until it is sucked up by a giant black hole, the 'lentissimo'. Here the musical process comes almost to a complete standstill. It's a night music of great intensity that explodes in an anguished climax. The finale is an energetic and tight-lipped 'allegro giusto' that towards the end returns to a serene reprise of the questioning theme with which the work started. All this is played without breaks between the movements. The overall shape of the work does remind somewhat of the Third Concerto, where the energetic opening also leads to a progressively more transparant and hesitant musical process.

According to Paolo Petazzi, who wrote the liner notes of the CD, the Quarto Concerto confronts itself with the model of Bartok. After having heard the Concerto five or six times during the last couple of days, I don't think that connection is obvious. In conjunction with the Concerto I listened in quick succession to a couple of other works for string orchestra: Bartok's Divertimento (1939), Martin's Etudes for string orchestra (1955-1956), Hoddinott's Scena for Strings (1984) and K.A. Hartmann's Symphony nr. 4 (1947-48). It's fair to say that there is something of all of these works in the Petrassi. I think Hoddinott's dreamy, shadowy Scena, Hartmann's somber, ruminative symphony and the dark slow movement of Bartok's Divertimento connect very well to the overall sense of deep and meandering meditation that pervades the Concerto. But there is neoclassical lightness and poise too, as in Martin's Etudes, and a sense of rythmic propulsion as in the fast movements of the Divertimento. truth be told, I think that amongst all of these works the Bartok Divertimento sticks out as the most accomplished achievement. It is such a wonder of balance, movement and colour. After having listened to it quite intensively a few weeks ago, it was refreshing to return to it once again. Now I listened to the phenomenal recording with Zehetmair and the Camerata Bern,on ECM.

Listening to the Hartmann symphony was a first for me. I had the full set of 8 symphonies with Ingo Metzmacher and the Bamberg SO already for a while but have not listened to it. It definitely seems worthwhile stuff, although I must admit to finding the Fourth rather longish. However, I am suspending judgment for the time being. Meanwhile I ordered the version on ECM with Christopher Poppen and the Münchner Kammerorchester to hear another take on this at first sight rather inscrutable work. Incidentally, Hartmann's Fourth Symphony and Petrassi's Fourth Concerto where both premiered by Hans Rosbaud.

Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements/Petrassi - Recréation Concertante (III. Concerto) per Orchestra

Today I just felt like listening to some vinyl and I picked from my collection of cleaned but unplayed LPs a 1961 recording of Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements (1945) by the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Constantin Silvestri. A very happy choice for several reasons. First, it's a superb performance that has been captured in a very authoritative and transparent sound by the EMI engineers. Second, because it's such a wonderful pendant to Petrassi's Third Concerto (1952-53) that I listened immediately afterwards. I had been cursorely listening to the Recréation Concertante over the last few days and found it a remarkable but even more enigmatic work than the Secondo Concerto. It starts with a very energetic Allegro sostenuto ed energico that leads over to an elusive moderato that connects back to a fast movement (Vigoros e ritmico). The scoring becomes progressively more diaphanous, even more so as we move into a most remarkable Adagio moderato - a fantastic episode of great, mysterious beauty - to conclude with a laconic and light Allegretto sereno. Although Petrassi starts to rely here on twelve tone material, there is nothing disorientating about the music. There is a definite sense of harmonic direction. Apparently, the interval of a third is the most determinant element of the material used in constructing the Concerto (PP. Petazzi in the liner notes). Maybe this is a case of metatonal music? I feel there is an obvious kinship with the Stravinsky symphony in the compactness of structure, the granitic energy of the opening movement, the concertante character of much of the scoring (with piano and harp particularly prominent in the Stravinsky), the deceptive mildness of some movements (I found references to Rossini in relation to both works) and likely also the minor-major tensions in both compositions.

Petrassi - Secondo Concerto

We've been off for a few days to France and as a result I haven't been able to listen to a lot of music. I've had a lot of Honegger's 4th Symphony swirling around in my head. And I listened once more to Petrassi's Secondo Concerto. There is an echo there that initially escaped me, but once you have heard it is very obvious. Indeed, there is a fair amount of Malcolm Arnold in this work, particularly in those kinds of half-jaunty, half-questioning motifs for the winds. Also the light, transparent scoring connects to some of Arnold's slow symphonic music. But the Petrassi never charges into the kind of slapstick and nose thumbing that Arnold is occasionally indulging in. Nevertheless, the parallel is really quite striking. Interesting is also that these composers are roughly contemporaneous. Arnold's Symphony nr. 2 dates from 1953, and therefore follows very closely in Petrassi's tracks with his Secondo Concerto. I assume it's unlikely that there has been a mutual influence. But one never knows! Kenneth Leighton and Peter Maxwell Davies are two respected British composers who studied with Petrassi. Anyway, if there was, it was only a passing attraction as Petrassi seemed to move in a slightly different direction with his Third Concerto. 

There is a review of the Tamayo CDs circulating on the internet (written by Guy Rickards for the scholarly journal Tempo, published by Cambridge University Press) which draws an interesting parallel with two other composers: Busoni and Hartmann. I have Hartmann's symphonic cycle in my collection but I haven't listened to it yet. I need to brush up on Busoni's (smaller body of) symphonic work too. I have a CPO disc with a mixture of shorter works (A Lustspiel Overtüre amongst them) and then of course the Sarabande and Cortège from Doktor Faustus. To be further investigated.

It's early days but judging from what I heard of the first four concertos I find these compositions extremely rewarding. It's serious music, ostensibly written in a personal voice without indulging in a quest for effect whatsoever. I was surprised to read in a program note by David Fanning on Rodion Shchedrin's First Concerto for Orchestra that "... some, such as the Italian Goffredo Petrassi, who composed eight examples between the 1930s and 1970s, have followed Hindemith’s cue, producing frankly recreational music, designed primarily to show off the qualities of the modern orchestra." I don't find Petrassi's music 'recreational' at all (despite his Third Concerto being misleadingly titled Recréation Concertante). Despite the obvious transparency of the orchestral writing and the predominantly tonal harmony it is music that is not easy to approach. I believe this may have something to do with the architecture, which does not seem to rely on traditional templates such as sonata form. Nevertheless, it does sound symphonic! Also, in Concertos 2-4 movements are played attacca, so it's not always easy to orient oneself when one cannot keep track of the indexing on the CD player (as in my case). Unfortunately the rather wordy booklet essay written by a certain Paolo Petazzi is of little help in understanding the formal aspects of the music.

One thing that captivates in all of the first four concertos is the gravitas of the slow movements. They seem to be the emotional heart of these works. They are also a vehicle to showcase Petrassi's masterly skills in orchestration, weaving ravishing sonorities into a somberly meditative, nightlike atmosphere. I've just dipped my toe into the Third and Fourth Concertos now and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Petrassi - Secondo Concerto; Honegger - Symphony nr. 4

I've been listening patiently to Petrassi's Secondo Concerto per Orchestra, a composition from 1951. The music is not that difficult but it does show a certain measure of abstraction and hence it takes a while to get a feel for the overall structure. The idiom clearly connects to the Primo Concerto, although the stance is somewhat less heroic. The work is also more transparently scored, and sounds more genuinely as a concerto for orchestra. Once you get into the music it is very atmospheric and Petrassi conjures some wonderful textures from the orchestra. The work it reminded me most strongly of is Honegger's Fourth Symphony, 'Deliciae Basilienses' (1946). Incidentally, both the Petrassi Concerto and the Honegger symphony were commissioned by Paul Sacher. This is a name that continues to pop up once one starts to dig into the neo-classical modernists' repertoire from 1930s to 1950s. The Honegger symphony is in a still more relaxed and narrative vein than the Concerto. But the airiness of the textures and the general harmonic feel do overlap a lot. It was a pleasure to relisten to the Honegger symphony in a truly excellent version by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta led by Tamas Vasary (another pianist-turned-conductor; recording is still available in the Chandos catalogue). Vasary's choice of tempo is just right and he coaxes beautiful playing from his wind soloists and trumpets, suffusing the work with a melancholy light and a bittersweet tone that is quite unique.

Petrassi - Primo Concerto

A couple of years ago my friend HK demoed a snippet from one of Goffredo Petrassi's Concerti per Orchestra. It took a long while to follow up on his suggestion but now I'm happy to have the full set of 8 Concerti on a double CD issued by the Stradivarius label. The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra is conducted by the redoubtable Arturo Tamayo - for whom I have great respect since his traversal of Xenakis' complete symphonic oeuvre on the Timpani label.

Petrassi's Primo Concerto makes for a very promising start. It's a very muscular three movement work - Allegro, Adagio, Tempo di Marcia - lasting just over 23 minutes. Rhythmically and harmonically it has Hindemith written all over it, but then it's a more sanguine and athletic version of the original. Not surprisingly, one is also reminded of the Walton of the First Symphony, as well as of the 'angry' Vaughan Williams of the Fourth and Sixth symphonies. So, it's the kind of taut, epic and rather abstract symphonic music that goes down extremely well with me.

Again, it's rather amazing how this body of work is able to lead such a peripheral existence. Likely, Petrassi has a big reputation in Italy but beyond its borders he must be very little known. His discography is very spotty, with some of his alleged masterpieces - Coro di Morti, Noche Oscura, the operas - unavailable. Chailly, for example, recorded the complete Varese and the Hindemith Kammermusiken, so why didn't he go on and recorded the Petrassi Concerti? Anyway, let's see where this leads us. The Secondo Concerto follows 17 years after the first so we may be in for a very different experience.