Tartini, Dallapiccola, Rochberg

Posted on November 23rd, 2010 by


Composer of the Day 

As my fascination with this set of pieces grew, with a concomitant question of how best to present the sequence, there were moments of doubt. The great Tartini scholar, Paul Brainard, last published material on these pieces in 1961. He responded with barely concealed scorn to Giovanni Guglielmo’s Edition 1970 edition for Zerboni. I had a moment of doubt. Perhaps the pieces weren’t any good. At that moment, Luigi Dallapiccola stepped in. His Tartiniana Seconda is, in fact the first printed edition of any of this music. Listening to his own performance of the first movement of the 7th Sonata, convinced me to go on. If he could produce an omaggio of such delicacy and beauty, simply by framing, echoing and garlanding Tartini’s enlightened restraint, then clearly there was something there.

 Giuseppe Tartini-Adaggio [sic] from the 7th Solo Sonata

PSS – Violin

(Recording: Aldbury 2010) Courtesy of Jonathan Haskell. (Astounding Sounds)

Luigi Dallapiccola-Tartiniana Seconda ‘Pastorale’

Sandro Materassi, violin, Luigi Dallapiccola, piano

(Recording: Florence, 1958)

George Rochberg reviewed this work in 1958: ‘One of the signs of the extent of his gift is his exquisite craftmanship; you can almost feel the love and care he expends on his work. …. [he] skilfully evolves about Tartini’s ideas delicate structures whose free imitations and strict canons are completely inventive, non-academic, and full of surprises.’ (Notes, Second Series, Vol 15, No4 September 1958), P.654