Luciano Berio, "Concertino"
Notes From RCA ARL1-2291:
Luciano Berio's style in the 1950s, like that of his compatriots Luigi Nono and Bruno Maderna, emphasized post- Webern serialism and electronic techniques. His subsequent work, however, has shown a shift in interest to indeterminacy as well as to more traditional approaches. This has often been expressed in a highly personal eclecticism, sometimes involving tonally centered music in which quotations from other composers, no less than from himself, have been recycled. But the variety of approaches he has followed all bear the stamp of an intense personality touched by profound human concerns, particularly where the writings of others, such as Dante, Eliot, Joyce, Auden and Brecht, have fired his imagination.
Concertino dates from 1951, the year of the composer's graduation from the Music Academy in Milan, and is written for concertante solo clarinet and violin with a chamber ensemble consisting of celesta, harp and strings. It is a Janus-like work, borrowing, on the one hand, from both the Baroque and the early 20th century and, on the other hand, looking ahead to Berio's Webern-derived serial textures of the later '50s. In principle the work pays homage to the Baroque concerto grosso in its contrasting of unequal groups of instruments; again, some of its incisive dotted rhythms are characteristically Baroque as well. But the orchestral palette, especially the delicate sonorities of celesta and harp, not to mention the uses of silence, derive more immediately from Anton Webern. This is not to imply, however, that Concertina is a serial work. On the contrary, Berio's commitment to the key of C is unmistakable almost throughout, and the composition as a whole follows a ternary design (A-B-A) corresponding to the tempo scheme: Allegretto (J= 64)-Vivace (J=132)-Allegretto (J= 64). The coda, though suggesting disintegration, represents in fact a deft transformation and synthesis of intervallic relationships (thirds and seconds) originating in the work's opening measures.
Luciano Berio's style in the 1950s, like that of his compatriots Luigi Nono and Bruno Maderna, emphasized post- Webern serialism and electronic techniques. His subsequent work, however, has shown a shift in interest to indeterminacy as well as to more traditional approaches. This has often been expressed in a highly personal eclecticism, sometimes involving tonally centered music in which quotations from other composers, no less than from himself, have been recycled. But the variety of approaches he has followed all bear the stamp of an intense personality touched by profound human concerns, particularly where the writings of others, such as Dante, Eliot, Joyce, Auden and Brecht, have fired his imagination.
Concertino dates from 1951, the year of the composer's graduation from the Music Academy in Milan, and is written for concertante solo clarinet and violin with a chamber ensemble consisting of celesta, harp and strings. It is a Janus-like work, borrowing, on the one hand, from both the Baroque and the early 20th century and, on the other hand, looking ahead to Berio's Webern-derived serial textures of the later '50s. In principle the work pays homage to the Baroque concerto grosso in its contrasting of unequal groups of instruments; again, some of its incisive dotted rhythms are characteristically Baroque as well. But the orchestral palette, especially the delicate sonorities of celesta and harp, not to mention the uses of silence, derive more immediately from Anton Webern. This is not to imply, however, that Concertina is a serial work. On the contrary, Berio's commitment to the key of C is unmistakable almost throughout, and the composition as a whole follows a ternary design (A-B-A) corresponding to the tempo scheme: Allegretto (J= 64)-Vivace (J=132)-Allegretto (J= 64). The coda, though suggesting disintegration, represents in fact a deft transformation and synthesis of intervallic relationships (thirds and seconds) originating in the work's opening measures.
Labels: Avant Garde Project, jodru, Luciano Berio
posted by jodru at 16:53
1 Comments:
I listened to the recording through the Avant Garde Project. I could not find any information about the performing orchestra at the RCA ARL1-2291. Does anyone know about this?
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