Puccini Orchestral Music
This release not only broadens our appreciation of Puccini, it is powerful in and of itself
Rarities performed at the highest standards, both performative and in terms of recording, are themselves rare, so it is good to have Sinfonia of London under John Wilson in this sequence of early music by Puccini.
And non-vocal music, at that. Puccini studied with Amiclare Ponchielli at Milan from 1880-83, during which time he wrote the Preludio sinfonico (1882) loosely based on Wagner's Lohengrin (you can hear the influence clearly at the climax, and in some of the more tender passages thereafter):
Dating from the very next year, the Capriccio sinfonico, actually Puccini's graduation piece at Milan. Music from this piece was re-used in Edgar (the funeral cortege) while the faster section is unmistakably familiar from La bohème:
This music bursts with joy once the Bohème pre-echo is reached, Listen, too, to how neat the performance is: the strings are so together, the bass so tight. There is zero loss of violin tone up high, too . "Sinfonico" this might be, but the smell of grease-paint is all over this music.
Great to have the Prelude to Le vili, to (we'll be featuring the BR Klassik complete performance of this soon). The one-cat opera was entered into a competition by the publishers Sanzogno (which Puccini didn't win). Although originally in one act, it was later expanded to two.
.. and we don't just have the Prelude, but there's a Witches' Sabbath, to boot, "La tragenda" from the second act, a G-Minor tarantella of infernal energy. Here's a videoe:
Appearing in an edition by Virgilio Bernardini (born 1958), the Scherzo-Trio (which have separate catalogue numbers, SC 34 and 52) contains material that is again reused later: the Scherzo, in Le Villi, the Trio as Sharpless' music from Act 1 of Butterfly:
Fascinating to have an Adagetto (Puccini's spelling), a glorious piece of pure Puccini. It could come from much later (it dates from 1883):
A discarded Preludio to Act I of Manon Lescaut next, containing typical Puccini woodwind writing, both as a section and as solo (oboe). The light strings are a delight, and how perfectly Wilson paces this:
More famous is the Intermezzo preceding the third act of Lescaut, when Manon is in prison, facing deportation to America. This is Des Grieux's reaction, sad, devoted. How Wilson has the strings caress the doleful melody, reminding us Lescaut is a "dramma lirico":
Of Puccini's non-operatic music, Crisantemi for string quartet (cast in C sharp minor) is probably the most famous, John Wilson has arranged it for string orchestra. This is a piece of mourning (chrysanthemums are linked to this in "flower language"; the recipient is Amadeo, Duke of Aosta), and its music once again shows up later, in Manon Lescaut. But it stands so perfectly on its own. Here's a film:
The Tre Minuetti (c. 1881, rev. 1888) was originally also for string quartet. They are pastiche, but again turn up in Lescaut, most obviously the second, which opens the opera (material from all three appears in the second act dance scene):
Listen, too, to the detail Wilson finds in the third:
Like Le Villi, Edgar deserves our attention. This "Lyric Drama" begins with the Preludio heard here, although not in its final version (where it appeared later in the opera). The woodwind chords towards the end could only could have come from this composer's pen:
The Prelude to act III holds anticipations of Fidelia's aria, "Addio, mio dolce amor":
Here's Mara Zampieri in amazing voice (listen to the swells, and the contained power!) in that aria:
This release not only broadens our appreciation of Puccini, it is powerful in and of itself thanks to Wilson's tireless devotion and the world-class playing of Sinfonia of London. Recommended.
The disc is available from Amazon here, iDagio here.
