Event Title
From Scarlatti to Calligaris: A Journey through the Italian Piano Repertoire
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Paper
Abstract / Program Notes
This study investigates Italian piano repertoire focusing on 1) the renowned clavicembalisti italiani (Italian harpsichordists)–e.g., Scarlatti, Galuppi, and Cimarosa–who laid the foundations for the development of the Italian piano school; 2) substantial transcriptions by Busoni (the virtuoso pianist who composed in late-romantic style and developed in his maturity a more individual style featuring components of atonality); and 3) the contribution to the piano literature by Martucci, Respighi, Malipiero, Casella, Dallapiccola, Petrassi, Berio, and Calligaris. The presenter will give a brief overview of all the composers investigated, and then will discuss in depth substantial selections of the Italian piano repertoire that are not frequently found in concerts and conservatories programs: 1) the Fantasia da Camera sopra la Carmen di Bizet by Busoni, where the composer follows the model of the Lisztian paraphrases, but adds innovations in the juxtaposition and development of the themes, thus transforming the Lisztian bravura, which is still present in the virtuosity and brilliance of the piece, into a transcendent quality that transfigures Bizet’s Carmen sonoric images; 2) the Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies by Respighi, where the post-romantic sensitivity found in Scriabin, Debussy, and Ravel fuses with a rootedness in ancient chant in a re-visited plan of the Lisztian miniature tone poems; and 3) the Prelude, Sarabande, and Finale Op.14 by Calligaris, where elements of the post-romantic and contemporary styles are combined in a vivid contrast between energetic, wild, and elegiac themes, a dramatic use of rhythm, and a disciplined and extremely complex use of counterpoint.
Biography
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Alessandra Tiraterra has drawn the attention of the musical world when she started concertizing at the age of fourteen. She has performed hundreds of recitals for festivals and institutions in the US and in Europe (Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta, Wiener Saal in Salzburg, Salle Cortot in Paris, Teatro Ghione and Teatro Marcello in Rome, International Festival for Pianists in Manchester, etc.). Winner of many national and international piano competitions and prizes, she has an impressive educational background in piano performance: she studied at the “A. Casella” Conservatory of Music in Italy (integrated Bachelor and Master of Music), the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris “A. Cortot,” France (Brevet d’Execution), Georgia State University (Master of Music), Mozarteum Universität in Salzburg, Austria (Post-graduate Studies), and Temple University (Doctor of Musical Arts). She owes her formation to world-renowned pianists and pedagogues (Charles Abramovic, Sergio Perticaroli, Marcella Crudeli, Joaquin Soriano, Geoffrey Haydon, and Sergei Dorensky). She currently teaches in the college and pre-college divisions in the US. Students from her studio are regularly prize winners in piano competitions. She is an active member of CMS, MTNA (Music Teachers National Association), EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association), and MAMTG (Mid-Atlantic Music Teachers Guild). She often teaches master-classes and is invited as a jury member of piano competitions. She has been invited to give talks by colleges and institutions in Europe and US and has published with Dante University of America Press.
Keywords
Italian piano repertoire, composers
From Scarlatti to Calligaris: A Journey through the Italian Piano Repertoire
This study investigates Italian piano repertoire focusing on 1) the renowned clavicembalisti italiani (Italian harpsichordists)–e.g., Scarlatti, Galuppi, and Cimarosa–who laid the foundations for the development of the Italian piano school; 2) substantial transcriptions by Busoni (the virtuoso pianist who composed in late-romantic style and developed in his maturity a more individual style featuring components of atonality); and 3) the contribution to the piano literature by Martucci, Respighi, Malipiero, Casella, Dallapiccola, Petrassi, Berio, and Calligaris. The presenter will give a brief overview of all the composers investigated, and then will discuss in depth substantial selections of the Italian piano repertoire that are not frequently found in concerts and conservatories programs: 1) the Fantasia da Camera sopra la Carmen di Bizet by Busoni, where the composer follows the model of the Lisztian paraphrases, but adds innovations in the juxtaposition and development of the themes, thus transforming the Lisztian bravura, which is still present in the virtuosity and brilliance of the piece, into a transcendent quality that transfigures Bizet’s Carmen sonoric images; 2) the Three Preludes on Gregorian Melodies by Respighi, where the post-romantic sensitivity found in Scriabin, Debussy, and Ravel fuses with a rootedness in ancient chant in a re-visited plan of the Lisztian miniature tone poems; and 3) the Prelude, Sarabande, and Finale Op.14 by Calligaris, where elements of the post-romantic and contemporary styles are combined in a vivid contrast between energetic, wild, and elegiac themes, a dramatic use of rhythm, and a disciplined and extremely complex use of counterpoint.