Classical Vienna Music for Guitar & Piano James Akers romantic guitar Gary Branch fortepiano RES10182 Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841) Classical Vienna 1. Nocturne No. 1 [4:33] Music for Guitar & Piano Anton Diabelli (1781-1858) Sonata for the Piano Forte and Guitar, Op. 71 2. Allegro moderato [5:42] 3. Menuetto & Trio [4:48] James Akers romantic guitar 4. Polonaise [3:15] Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) Gary Branch fortepiano 5. Fantasia on ‘Potem Mitzwo!’ [6:12] Ferdinando Carulli 6. Nocturne No. 2 [3:45] Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829) Sonata Brillante, Op. 15 7. Allegro [6:06] 8. Adagio [4:59] Mauro Giuliani Variations on ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’ & Polonaise 9. Introduzione [1:57] 10. Variations [7:44] 11. Polonaise [9:14] About James Akers: Ferdinando Carulli ‘It’s a small soundscape, but when played with such beauty, 12. Variations on Themes taste and subtlety, an utterly enchanting one.’ by Rossini [9:24] BBC Music Magazine Total playing time [67:47] Classical Vienna: Music for Guitar resounded to more comforting sounds. Music and Fortepiano publishers poured out vast quantities of works written by skilled craftsmen composers intent By the early-nineteenth century, long term on quieting, not arousing, the latent and societal changes in Europe had created a unseemly passions of the European elite. prosperous and expanding middle class. The values and culture of this group, mainly The market for music lessons, sheet music concerned with aspiration and self- and performances provided gainful improvement, quickly became established, employment for the composers featured on and remained reasonably consistent this recording, many of whom were able to thereafter. Their economic power and lead bourgeois lifestyles far removed from political influence resulted in an explosion the starving artist archetype of romantic of art and literature, theatres and galleries, mythology. A defining figure of this type was public works and private devotions to the Anton Diabelli (1781-1858). Suffering the cult of personal fulfilment. historical indignity of being most famous for someone else’s composition – namely, Music assumed a central role in this world Beethoven’s monumental ‘Diabelli’ Variations, and instrument builders, publishers and – Diabelli originally trained to be a priest but musicians combined to expand a burgeoning was forced into a change of career when his industry. Many middle class homes were monastery was closed. He moved to Vienna, furnished with musical instruments and taught music and in 1821 he founded a each generation provided with musical publishing company with a colleague, Pietro training thus enabling them to entertain Cappi. Cappi and Diabelli achieved huge and edify family and friends. success publishing arrangements of popular pieces. Material comfort, however, can inculcate a comfortable conservatism and the market for Diabelli was also a gifted composer whose challenging works, then as now, was limited, output ranged from operetta to masses with most preferring the comfortably familiar. including guitar solos – the genre in which Whilst music historians have concentrated he was most prolific. His Sonata for the on larger forms and figures – on legendary Piano Forte and Guitar, Op. 71, is a composers of genius like Mozart, Beethoven, substantial work of three sections: a lively Schubert, the homes of the bourgeoisie and dramatic sonata form opening; a graceful cantabile minuet, highlighting the angelic The presence of Giuliani in Vienna must have chords from the piano before a series of four and emotion. qualities of the piano, juxtaposed with an accounted for some of the success enjoyed variations explore different facets of the earthy guitar dominated trio and finishing by Diabelli’s publishing firm. Upon his arrival melody and characteristics of the instruments. As the popularity of the guitar increased with the charming rusticity of a ‘Polonaise’. in Austria, from Barletta in south Italy in Giuliani follows the variations with a lively throughout Europe, the leading performers Diabelli gives most of the drama and content around 1806, Giuliani inspired an enthusiasm polonaise, a popular dance form of the time, of the day found themselves much in demand. to the piano, with the guitar providing for the guitar amongst the Viennese that was that lets loose the guitar through a series Some, like Fernando Sor, exiled from his accompaniment and occasionally breaking described favourably by a contemporary of episodes demonstrating the variety of homeland by the violent politics of the time, out with a melodic flourish or counter- writer (Wilhelm Klingenbrummer): ‘He virtuosic techniques at Giuliani’s disposal. travelled as far afield as London and Moscow melody. The piece explores a range of [Giuliani] has provided us with a series of never truly settling. Others, during their moods and demonstrates Diabelli’s skill charming compositions and through his Giuliani’s Sonata Brillante, Op. 15, is travels, found commodious respite in one and depth as a composer. teaching he has formed for us so many perhaps his best-known work. Whilst on place and decided to remain. outstanding amateurs, that there could occasion Giuliani’s music tends towards Along with light music, Diabelli also published scarcely be another place where authentic the facile, this piece shows his melodic One such was Ferdinando Carulli (1770-1841). weightier works. He was the first to print guitar playing is so widely practiced as here gift, dramatic intuition and depth of Born in Naples he began his musical studies the music of Schubert and purchased the in our Vienna.’ understanding of the guitar honed to with the ‘cello before turning his attention to complete estate after the young composer’s perfection. The first movement begins the guitar. Following a highly successful tour premature death. However, Diabelli’s ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’, is an aria from with a gently undulating ostinato before of Paris, he decided to re-locate there and business partner, Cappi, seems to have had Giovanni Paisiello’s 1788 opera La Molinara. taking off to explore a broad range of became a sought after guitar teacher and a penchant for offending the firm’s It proved a popular choice for variations, moods and emotions. Though in traditional later publisher of guitar music. composers with the paucity of his with many composers including Beethoven, sonata form, the piece is unhampered payments. He argued with Schubert and Hummel, Paganini and (Giuliani’s guitarist by convention and allows Giuliani’s Carulli was a hugely prolific composer and, also with Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829), the composer contemporary) Fernando Sor, all imagination to venture where it will, while given the amount he wrote, the quality of composer of another work on this recording. employing it. Giuliani also composed maintaining structural integrity. It proves his music is remarkably consistent. Much of A letter survives from Giuliani to Messrs Variations on Nel cor più non mi sento and, what can be achieved by a solo instrument his simpler music for students has been Cappi and Diabelli excoriating the pair for coupled with a Polonaise, they were in the hands of a gifted composer. The continuously in use for two hundred years their business dealings. Giuliani writes, published in two versions: first, in 1815, for second movement is a touchingly beautiful and this, coupled with the fact that his more ‘I am not surprised that Sigr, Cappi wants string quartet and guitar and then, in 1823, pastorale. Crying out for orchestration, it advanced music is less well-known and out to acquire my works at an un-warranted the arrangement for piano and guitar, heard could almost have been written by of print has meant his work has been price […] but I am astounded at Signor on this recording. The piece begins with an Beethoven himself, with its wistful nostalgic unjustly undervalued in modern times. Diabelli, who, as a composer [...] could introduction allowing Giuliani, released from mood, and occasional flashes of darkening ever have permitted his associate to the limitations of the guitar, to flex his angst. It ends, movingly, with a return to The three pieces by Carulli on this recording degrade the profession so wickedly.’ compositional muscles. The theme is then the opening theme of the first movement – are all delightful compositions. Perhaps written played on the guitar with accompanying an act of formal genius satisfying reason in conjunction with his son, the pianist and singer Gustavo Carulli, they manage to On this recording I used two guitars, an original complicated action, which gives a more in composing music for a fortepiano and balance the instruments and highlight each 1820s instrument by Saumier for the Carulli immediate sound, but is less able to develop Classical guitar duo as opposed to a standard in an idiomatic way. His Variations on pieces and Giuliani and Diabelli sonatas and the tonal power in the louder dynamics. guitar duo, is that the fortepiano is able to Themes of Rossini, takes a gentle melody, a 2015 Panormo replica by James Cole for This would ultimately mean that the provide greater pitch and dynamic ranges ‘Oh, matutino albori’ from La Donna del the Giuliani Variations and Polonaise. fortepiano would be sidelined by the without overpowering the guitar. This Lago subjecting it to a series of variations, pianoforte through it’s ability to provide combination presents composers of the before a lively setting of another Rossini © 2017 James Akers the power required for concert halls and period with more dramatic, tonal and melody from Della Gazza Ladra (The Thieving virtuosic pianists of the later-nineteenth ultimately creative possibilities in this Magpie) leads into an extended ending, of It would be considered by many musicians century. However, one important feature ensemble genre. the type beloved of early-nineteenth-century today that a guitar and piano duo is a very of the Viennese fortepianos is the use of composers.