ENRICO MELOZZI
Harmonies on a Persian theme for cello and orchestra
MAX BRUCH
Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra op. 47
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Serenade for winds no. 12 in C minor Nachtmusik K 388
DMÍTRIJ ŠOSTAKÓVIČ
Prelude for two cellos and orchestra
(transcript edited by Raffaele Cecconi)
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
The Swan for two cellos and orchestra
(transcript edited by Raffaele Cecconi)
VALENTINA IRLANDO
Lullaby for cello and orchestra
Cello Valentina Irlando
with the participation of Federico Romano (Cello)
Director Andrea Solinas
Opera Carlo Felice Genova Orchestra
Lullaby’s programme opens with Armonie su un tema persiano (Harmonies on a Persian Theme) by Enrico Melozzi – contemporary multi-instrumentalist, composer and conductor. The piece, published in a version for cello and orchestra in 2021, is part of the composer’s research into the harmonisation of popular themes from different origins (such as works like Armonie su un tema Partigiano and Armonie su un tema albanese). The theme, nostalgic and exotic, entrusted to the cello that expounds it at the beginning, is harmonised and amplified in dialogue with the orchestra.
Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, for cello and orchestra, is also inspired by existing melodies, in this case Jewish. The piece, composed in 1880 and first performed the following year, is in one movement but divided into two sections. The title Kol Nidrei means ‘all the promises’; it is the first words of the opening prayer of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Thus Bruch’s music seems to tell the story of the process of atonement, with the first section in D minor a sorrowful reflection, then followed by the bright D major of a prayer full of hope.
Serenade no. 12 by Mozart dates back to 1782, but there is no record of the circumstances of composition or first performance. Made for a wind-only ensemble, the Serenade reflects the stylistic traits of Mozart’s early Viennese period. The opening Allegro in sonata form opens with a solemn, tension-filled theme in C minor, followed by a dreamy, melancholic Andante. The Menuetto in canon, with its usual dancing rhythm, brings a gentle return to the disturbance of the Allegro, which is also taken up in the final movement, a theme with variations.
Šostakóvič’s Prelude for two cellos is on this occasion performed in Raffaele Cecconi’s transcription for two cellos and orchestra. Composed during his youth, the piece is part of Šostakóvič’s extensive catalogue of chamber music, a repertoire very close to the composer’s sensibilities. The two cellos sing together, on two perfectly complementary fifth or third lines. The warm, scratchy sonority of the cellos becomes a vehicle for a melody of lyrical patheticism.
The Swan (Le cygne) is one of the most famous pieces from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnaval des animaux. The composer dedicated himself to the suite in 1886 for a private performance; he could not have imagined that Carnival would become his greatest success. Each of the fourteen tracks is descriptive in nature, but the animals depicted also serve as a pretext to experiment between different musical styles with humour. The swan, a sweet and dreamy piece, portrays the animal’s elegant, light-hearted manner. Subtly ironic, Saint-Saëns wanted to make fun of the tendency to melodic excess of certain romantic music. The piece is performed in Raffaele Cecconi’s transcription for two cellos and orchestra.
The concert closes with Lullaby, for cello and orchestra, by Valentina Irlando. The young cellist and composer presents a piece with a melancholic and intense melody, where once again the sonority of the cello takes centre stage in an expression of great immediacy.
