Program Two: Sons of Bach, Sons of Palestrina
August 6, 2016
1 PM Preconcert Talk: David Rosen
1:30 PM Performance: Allegra Chapman '10, piano; Daedalus Quartet; Laura Flax, clarinet; Shari Hoffman, clarinet; John Kawa, tenor; Cecilia Violette López, soprano; Anna Polonsky, piano; Orion Weiss, piano; Brian Zeger, piano; Bard Festival Chamber Players; and others
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924), Crisantemi (1890), Sole e amore (1888), E l'uccellino (1899), Ave Maria Leopolda (1896); Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)/Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924), from Ten Chorale Preludes (arr. 1898); Domenico Puccini (1772–1815), Piano Sonata No. 17 in A Major (n.d.); Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901), String Quartet in E Minor (1873); Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–86), Il Convegno (1856); Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876–1948), Quattro rispetti, Op. 11 (1902); Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936), Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 35 (1902); Alfredo Casella (1883–1947), from A la manière de . . . Johannes Brahms: Intermezzo (1911), Antonio Bazzini (1818–97), from Turanda (1867)
Despite distinct differences between "Northern" and "Southern" musical traditions, Italian composers drew inspiration from their Northern neighbors too. Puccini's grandfather Domenico composed principally for piano, and Busoni is well known for his virtuosic Bach keyboard transcriptions. Verdi, Ponchielli, Puccini, and Wolf-Ferrari are among the many opera composers who also dabbled in chamber music, lieder, and other traditionally Austro-German forms, resulting in such gems as Puccini's elegiac, dark-hued quartet movement, Crisantemi, melodies from which he would later repurpose in Manon Lescaut. And as Verdi's influence began to wane, Casella, Respighi, and other members of the generazione dell'ottanta eschewed opera for instrumental writing, setting a new agenda for Italian music in the 20th century.