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Wolf-Ferrari: Orchestral Works - Ulf Schirmer

Wolf-Ferrari: Orchestral Works - Ulf Schirmer

CPO  777 567-2

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari: Trittico Op. 19, Arabesken Op. 22, Divertimento Op. 20, Suite Veneziana Op. 18

RO München
Ulf Schirmer


The Melancholy Wolf Ferrari

During the decades prior to World War I Ermanno Wolf Ferrari, who at the time was not yet thirty years old, was one of the most-performed living opera composers next to Puccini and Strauss. His successes enabled him to enjoy a prosperous existence, but the outbreak of the war and Italy’s entry into it on the side opposing Germany upset these circumstances. This international conflict, which he termed a war of his fatherland against his motherland, burdened him greatly – and not only psychically. A creative crisis ensued, and although he recovered from it after the war, his earlier success would never again return. After the early 1930s Wolf Ferrari largely withdrew from the stage and composed the series of orchestral works now being presented by us on this CD. Even if their titles – Divertimento, Arabesques, Venetian Suite – do not suggest it, melancholy shadows their mirth. These are works of farewell, comparable to the late works of Strauss and Pfitzner. For all three (and other artists of their generation) the world of romanticism and beauty was beyond restoration.

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Review by Graham Williams - January 23, 2012

The Italian/German composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1878-1948) is best known for his fifteen operas, of which really only 'I Quattro Rusteghi' and 'Il Segretto di Susanna' have managed to hold precarious places in the repertoire of a few opera houses. While it is true that the Intermezzo from 'I Gioielli della Madonna' has long been a popular favourite, most of the composer's orchestral music sadly is unknown. Now thanks to the enterprising CPO label and the enlightened Bayerische Rundfunk we are now able to appreciate this unfamiliar music for ourselves in the superb sound quality it deserves.

All four works on this disc were composed in the 1930s when Wolf-Ferrari had put stage works behind him and began to concentrate on purely instrumental pieces before eventually turning to chamber music compositions at the end of his life.

Though much of the music on this beautifully recorded SACD is slow moving, it has a timeless beauty and melodic richness tinged with melancholy that completely negates any feelings of torpor or boredom. This is particularly true of the first item, the striking 'Triptychon' whose opening movement bears a similarity to the Prelude to Act 1 of Wagner's Parsifal, both in design and atmosphere. It begins with an ethereal winding theme on the strings that gradually builds to a massive brass chorale before returning to a tranquil close. The other two pieces in this triptych, 'Den toten Helden' (To the Dead Heroes) and 'Gebet' (Prayer) are equally compelling – the latter featuring a long and ecstatic violin solo, (played most sensitively by Henry Raudales) and the discreet use of an organ.

'Arabesques on an Aria by Ettore Tito' is a set of inventive variations on a theme apparently composed by a man better known to the world as a distinguished painter. It is skilfully orchestrated and concludes with a lively fugue.

The two remaining works on the disc are both equally delightful. The substantial four-movement 'Divertimento' opens with more variations, this time on a theme first stated on pizzicato strings and, like much of the music on this disc, features a solo by Wolf-Ferrari's favourite instrument, the oboe.
The 'Suite Veneziana' for small orchestra consists of four short atmospheric tone poems whose titles – 'On the Lagoon', 'Barcarolle', 'At Night' and 'Festive Morning' – perfectly convey the music's substance.

Ulf Schirmer and his fine Münchner Rundfunkorchester give deeply felt and committed readings of this lovely music, whilst the recording made in Studio 1 of Bayerische Rundfunk is tonally rich and full-bodied. Detailed liner notes by Herbert Rosendorfer include a useful page of musical examples.

No better case could be made for these neglected Wolf-Ferrari compositions. Strongly recommended.

Copyright © 2012 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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