94976
Karg-Elert
Complete Music for Flute
SARA LIGAS flute
•
ELISA MARRONI piano
CD1 30 Caprices Op.107 for solo flute 1. Tempo giusto 2. Un poco mosso, ma non brillante (Leise bewegt, doch nicht brillant) 3. Allegro alla Händel (non troppo brillante). (Im Händelschen Allegrozeitmaβ (nicht zu brillant)) 4. Velocissimo e brillante (Äuβerst lebhaft und glänzend) 5. Allegro giusto (Im landlää Allegrozeitmaβ) 6. Appassionato e stretto (Leidenschaftlich, treibend (rasch ganze Takte) 7. Moto perpetuo 8. Con molto brio (Sehr lebhaft) 9. Rapido e brillante (Rasch und glänzend) 10. Leggero e veloce (Locker und geschwind) 11. Velocissimo e molto leggero (Äuβerst geschwind und locker) 12. Leggero. Grazioso e veloce (Locker, zierlich, geschwind) 13. Leggerissimo e grazioso (Leichthin, anmutig) 14. Moto perpetuo 15. Mosso e leggerissimo (Sehr leichthin, schwebend) 16. Un poco mosso, umoristico (Etwas lebhaft, mit humor) 17. Leggero veloce, giocoso (Leicht, spielend, sehr rasch) 18. Adagio (quasi cadenza) (Adagio (im Stile einer Kadenz) 19. Vivacissimo, scintillante (Locker, sprühend, äuβerst geschwind) 20. Ardito capriccioso ed assai mosso (Kec˘k, launig, reichlich bewegt) 21. In tempo di walzer (Im Walzerzeitmaβ, kokett) 22. Agitato ed appassionato (Aufgeregt und leidenschaftlich) 23. Adagio appassionato (quasi recitativo) (Rezitativisch frei (quasi Adagio passionato) 24. Rapido quanto possibile (con suono sempre aguzzo) (So rasch wie möglich. Mit durchweg spitzigem Ton) 25. Un poco vivace e capriccioso (ziemlich bewegt, kapriziös) 2
42’38 1’26 1’13 2’01 0’38 1’05 1’20 0’43 1’19 0’45 0’50 0’56 0’58 1’41 0’47 1’02 1’09 1’21 1’13 0’58 1’07 2’03 0’57 1’51 0’42 0’59
26. Capiccioso, con civetteria (Kokett und Kapriziös) 27. Un pochettino mosso (ben articolato) (Leise bewegt (deutlich phrasiert) 28. Sciolto, elegante e rapido (Flüssig, elegant, ziemlich geschwind) 29. Velocissimo e frizzante (Äuβerst geschwind, prickelnd) 30. Chaconne
0’57 1’26 0’57 0’48 3’29
31. Sonata (Appassionata) in F sharp minor Op.140 for solo flute
4’37
CD2 Suite pointillistique Op.135 1. I. Leicht bewegt 2. II. Äuβerst gedehnt (Larghetto) 3. III. Scherzo 4. IV. Gewichtig, breit, doch nicht zu langsam (Im Stile einer Hymne) Impressions exotiques Op.134 5. I. Idylle champêtre 6. II. Danse pittoresque 7. III. Colibrì 8. IV. Lotus 9. V. Evocation a Brahma 10. Sinfonische Kanzone – Ruhig, empfindungsvoll Sonata in B flat Op.121 for flute and piano 11. I. Idyllisch, nicht schleppend (Allegro amabile) 12. II. Äuβerst langsam (Adagissimo) 13. III. Sehr geschwind und leichthin
72’08 4’47 5’51 7’40 5’13 2’52 2’52 2’43 3’17 4’32 11’33 5’35 8’11 6’33
Sara Ligas flute • Elisa Marroni piano 3
Although Sigfried Karg-Elert’s fame largely relates to his compositions for the organ and the harmonium, he also wrote a number of interesting pieces for solo flute and for flute and piano duo, a repertoire that is the focus of this recording. Karg-Elert (Oberndorf am Neckar, 1877 – Leipzig, 1933) began his musical studies in Leipzig, where his parents had moved when he was five years old. Following the death of his father in 1889, his mother’s restricted financial circumstances meant that she could no longer afford music lessons for her son. Fortunately, however, a well-to-do Leipzig family provided a piano that the boy could use so that he did not entirely abandon the studies he had begun. Sigfrid thus began to compose with great enthusiasm, despite his lack of a formal musical education. He then obtained a grant that allowed him to attend the Leipzig Conservatoire in 1896, where his teachers included Emil Nikolaus von Reznic˘ek, Carl Reinecke and Karl Wendling. On the basis of his performance as soloist in his first Concerto for piano and orchestra in 1900, his grant was further extended. He thus decided to opt for a career as a concert pianist, which would involve frequent foreign tours. It was during this period that he added his mother’s surname, Elert, to his own. Of great importance for Karg-Elert’s development was his meeting in 1902 with Edvard Grieg (1843-1907). The Norwegian composer was impressed by the younger musician’s talents, suggesting he should study counterpoint and the dances of the 1600s and 1700s as well as recommending him to various publishers. Karg-Elert took his older colleague’s advice to heart, devoting himself entirely to composition and calling off his planned American concert tour. During this period his style was clearly influenced by that of Grieg. 4
Encouraged by August Reinhard (1831-1912), Karg-Elert began taking the harmonium into serous consideration, and later also the Kunstharmonium, an instrument that was to inspire him to write a number of remarkable compositions. Although he enlisted at the outbreak of the First World War, given his fame he was not allowed to engage in active service. Instead he played the oboe in a military band, which was how he met the flautist Carl Bartuzat (1882-1959), who persuaded him to compose works for the flute. All the pieces featured in this recording date back to this period (1917-1919). Bartuzat had recently adopted an innovative type of flute introduced in 1847 by Theobald Böhm (1794-1881). Despite its effective benefits, the new flute was viewed with hostility by musicians devoted to the earlier model, which accounts for the fact that it was slow in gaining acceptance. For his part, Karg-Elert differed from many of his colleagues and was enthusiastic about the Böhm flute. Indeed, it is unlikely that he would have agreed to write works for Bartuzat if the latter had not been a first class performer on his chosen instrument. In time the two of them became close friends, and in later years also colleagues in the same Conservatoire in Leipzig, where Sigfried Karg-Elert was appointed to teach composition and music theory. After the war Karg-Elert largely focused on the organ, for which he wrote many of his finest works. Unfortunately his widespread fame in Englishspeaking countries meant that he was viewed with diffidence in his own. The Sonata appassionata Op.140 for flute, composed in 1917, is the earliest of the works included in this recording. The composition comprises a single movement in a style that harks back to fin-de-siècle late-Romanticism, 5
rich in chromatism and contrasting moods, accentuated by the frequent use of musical expressions. The recurrence of traditional forms is also typical of Romanticism, although in this case they are applied in ways that are new and highly distinctive: for instance, the unconventional sonata form, with an exposition featuring two subjects in the same key, and a recapitulation in which the second subject comes before the first. Impetuous in character, the first subject in F sharp minor accounts for the title of the work. By contrast, the second subject in A major is more expressive and cantabile. In this piece Karg-Elert makes interesting use of a polyphonic approach, despite the fact that the flute is a monodic instrument. The composition requires the performer to pay meticulous attention to the individual voices by means of marked contrasts in timbre and dynamics. Such features could only be achieved on the new Theobold Böhm style flute. The Sinfonische Kanzone Op.114 for flute and piano composed in 1917 again consists of a single movement. Like the Sonata appassionata, this piece also reveals close links with late-Romanticism, especially as regards the intensity of the subjects and the choices of key. Highly distinctive are also the harmonies and modulations involved, as well as the form, which is ternary, with a contrasting central episode. A careful analysis of the score, however, brings to light several features that break with tradition. In the first section there is a lyrical subject in E flat major that returns in a higher pitch following the exposition of a more melancholy second subject in G minor. In contrast to the symmetry of the three-part classical form, however, this latter theme returns at the end of the second section in F minor, before the long flute cadenza. Almost as though he wished to balance the two 6
parts, Karg-Elert chose not to repeat this subject in the end section, where the listener might expect to hear it again, returning instead to the first subject in E flat major, followed by a coda. A salient example of how Karg-Elert liked to reinvent the structure of traditional forms is to be found in the Sonata in B flat major Op.121, written in 1918 and dedicated to his friend, the flautist Carl Bartuzat. Although it actually consists of three movements, this composition is conceived as a work to be played straight through, without interruption. Of the three sections, only the third is entirely “closed”, beginning and ending in B flat major. The first movement, Idyllische, nicht schleppend, comprises three parts. As in the classical sonata form, the first section features two subjects. The first is a radiant, “idyllic” theme in B flat major, while the second, in F minor, is more restless in mood. These two subjects are “developed” in the central section, where a third musical idea comes unexpectedly to the fore, featuring a pronounced, martial rhythm, initially in G major, then in C major and finally in B flat major. In the last recapitulation, the three subjects appear again in different keys, thereby undermining expectations based on the classical sonata form. The third of these themes, in F major, is followed by a coda in the same key, which concludes the movement in a suspended mode. The second movement, Äußerst langsam, is more changeable in key and, like the first movement, comprises three parts: exposition, development and recapitulation. The first subject, in G flat minor, appears to emerge from a void, bringing with it rich chromatism that invests the whole with a feeling of uncertainty. By contrast, the second subject in E flat minor is lyrical and 7
cantabile. The second section, which is longer than the others, also features a third subject, which breaks into a distinctly turbulent section like a sudden ray of light. Following the flute cadenza, in the recapitulation the three subjects come to the fore once again: the first in F major, the second in modulation and the third, which concludes the movement, in D flat major. The form of the last movement, Sehr geschwind und leichthin, in some respects resembles the rondo and rondo-sonata. There are two subjects that return in the course of the five sections that make up the movement: the first, in B flat major, is brilliant and very lively; the second, played by the piano, first in F major and then in G major, is slower, with an incisive rhythm. In the central part, which acts like a development, these subjects are reworked using counterpoint. A third, more lyrical subject is played in changing keys during the episodes embedded between the various expositions of the two main subjects. The first and second subjects return in B flat major in the last section, which concludes with a heady, frenetic coda in the same key. The following two pieces, Suite pointilliste and Impressions exotiques, differ from the earlier works for two reasons: they consist of distinct movements; and they embody explicit references to a distant oriental world reminiscent of the musical universe of Claude Debussy (1862-1918). The title of the first movement of the Suite pointillistique Op.135 of 1919 is Leicht bewegt. (Im Stile einer Arabeske). This explicit reference to exoticism is expressed in musical terms by the flute, which does indeed seem to trace an arabesque, underpinned by chords on the piano. The highly expressive central section makes greater use of counterpoint, investing both instruments with 8
equal importance regarding melody. The following section, which is similar in character to the first, leads to a final coda, with a penultimate chord that seems to point in the direction of jazz. Der kranke Mond (the sick moon) is a title that Arnold Schoenberg also used for the seventh piece in his Pierrot Lunaire (1912), the only one in which the ensemble comprises the flute as well as the voice. From the musical point of view, these two compositions do not really have much in common, though the languid, somewhat tormented atmosphere of the text of Pierrot Lunaire is also perfectly suited to the second movement of the Suite pointilliste. The descending chromatism in the piano that precedes the subject played by the flute introduces an atmosphere of wan uncertainty that continues throughout the piece, with the sole exception of a livelier, short central section. The title of the third section expresses an explicit dichotomy: Scherzo. (Diavolina und Innocenz). The tritone interval, known as the diabolus in musica, returns with insistence in the piano accompaniment with its dancing rhythm, almost a wild waltz in A minor. True to scherzo form, there is a contrasting central trio which, in this case, presents the second character of the movement: innocence. This section is in F major and begins with a chord in fourths that attenuates the anxiety of the previous heady rhythm. Karg-Elert specified that the last movement should be performed Im Stile einer Hymne (in the style of a hymn), as the solemn chords in the piano accompaniment suggest. These chords then give way to other types of figuration, especially in the highly varied central section, which grows more turbulent. The next part returns to the initial melody, sustained by continuous arpeggios on the piano. 9
With respect to the other movements, the harmony is more complex, so that it difficult to establish a logical development in the arrangement of the chords. Exoticism is certainly the central theme of Impressions exotiques Op.134, written in 1919. The titles of the five movements that make up the work are distinctly programmatic, in that the music declaredly intends to evoke the images, sounds and sensations of a distant, mysterious world. Idylle champêtre draws the listener into a bucolic, pastoral atmosphere in which man is in direct contact with peaceful and benign nature. The flute, with its free, almost improvisational figurations, conjures up images of water running in a stream, or echoes of birdsong. The choice of an idiom that is modal rather than tonal, and the use of empty fifths in the left hand on the piano are musical elements that suggest an exotic, oriental scene. The two adjectives are also well suited to the melancholy melody on the flute at the beginning of Danse pittoresque. Karg-Elert emphasises the resulting sense of mystery and tonal ambiguity by the skilful use of chromatism and obsessive repetition in the piano accompaniment that together invest the piece with a sense of static firmness. The central part in C major provides a distinct contrast with the previous section. Marked “Molto brioso e burlesco”, it makes use of dry chords on the piano with sforzando at the end of each bar to contradict the given tempo. The third section returns to the initial flute melody, but with a change in the piano accompaniment, which evokes different timbres and instruments. Indeed, the composer invites the pianist to play as though he had a celeste and a string quartet producing harmonic sounds rather than a piano. KargElert suggests that the three gloomy notes in a low register that continue 10
throughout this last section should be played “Quasi tamtam”. Colibri, the central movement, is richer in programmatic elements. The bird is conjured up by means of quick figurations, trills and timbre effects, including flutter-tongue, played on the piccolo flute, an instrument whose range of high notes lends itself to the evocation of a humming-bird. The counterpoint in the piano part, also in a high register, seems to describe the frenetic wing movement of a flock of these tiny birds. It is difficult to identify the harmonic thread of the piece, and there is no real sense of resolution, which adds to the feeling of instability, further emphasised at the end of the last cadenza on the piccolo: it is almost as if the instrument itself flies away from us with the same speed that characterized its first approach. The past two movements, Lotus and Evocation a Brahma, refer to certain aspects of Hinduism; indeed, since the lotus flower is a symbol of the god Brahma, clearly the movements relate to each other. The fourth movement is open and free in structure, with numerous markings regarding expression and timbre for both instruments. Moreover, the composer also invites the pianist to imitate the sound of the celeste. Once again the empty fifths on the piano invest the flute melody with oriental-style, exotic harmony. Evocation a Brahma opens with a bold passage in the piano. The two outer sections of the three parts that make up the movement are majestic and solemn, whereas the central section is more flurried, with frequent changes in tempo and rhythm. As in the previous movements, musical elements are used to conjure up images of the exotic East. Shortly before the end of the work, Karg-Elert invites the pianist to imitate the drumming effect of the tamtam, just as he had in Danse pittoresque. This involves playing a cluster of notes in a very low register, thereby introducing a 11
somewhat threatening atmosphere in distinct contrast with the general tone of the movement. The 30 caprices Op.107 for solo flute are appreciated by flautists for their value as exercises, especially the last one, which enjoys widespread fame. However, these works are more than just excellent teaching tools because they also reveal remarkable creativity. Composed between 1918 and 1919 and dedicated to Karg-Elert’s friend, the flautist Carl Bartuzat, they embody many innovative elements introduced by the Böhm flute. As with the Sonata appassionata, the idiom tends to be richly polyphonic, with many highly demanding semi-hidden voices. The Capricci also involve certain keys with numerous modulations and alterations. Moreover, there is considerable variety in the musical form: waltz rhythms give way to imitations of the baroque style, long cadenza-like passages and moments of dense chromatism. Of particular interest are the twentieth and the thirtieth caprice, the former built around an eastern-sounding hexatonic scale, and the latter in F minor, in the traditional form of a chaconne with a typical ternary rhythm and a basso ostinato based on the repetition of four notes that descend in steps from the tonic to the dominant. In the seventeen variations, this material is subject to every possible mutation, using plenty of virtuoso effects, while the regular beat of the bass notes is maintained throughout the chaconne, up to the brief final coda. In terms of complexity and extension, the 30 capricci thus provide a magnificent conclusion that contains and exploits all the potential of KargElert’s beloved Böhm flute. © Lorenzo Paparazzo Translation: Kate Singleton
12
Sara Ligas flute Born in Cagliari (Sardinia) in September 1977, Ligas studied under Salvatore Saddi at the conservatoire P.L. da Palestrina in Cagliari, obtaining a first class Diploma in flute. In July 2005 she was also awarded a first class Degree in Educational Sciences with a thesis on the History of Music (Music and Fable in Alfredo Casella’s Donna serpent). She then specialized with Francesco Loi (first flute at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa), later attending the Accademia flautistica Imola to study flute with Glauco Cambursano and Maurizio Valentini, and piccolo with Nicola Mazzanti (piccolo player at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino). In March 2013 she also obtained a Higher Diploma under Paola Fre at I.S.M.M. F. Vittadini in Pavia, and the following year an academic Teaching Diploma at the music Conservatoire in Cagliari. She frequently performs in concerts, often as part of chamber music ensembles, especially flute and guitar, flute and piano or guitar, and flute and clarinet duos. However she also plays both the flute and the piccolo in orchestral concerts. She has performed with the Clara Schumann Orchestra of Livorno in opera productions and symphony concerts, and with the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. As flute and piccolo player she has also been a member of the Giovane orchestra filarmonica del Veneto. 13
As a flautist she has taken part in two editions of the Flute Ensemble concert series organized by the Festival flautistico in Iglesias, Sardinia. In October 2013 she won third prize in the “Vacchelli” National Chamber Music Competition, playing in an ensemble made up of flute, guitar and clarinet. Author of the book “Fife il tuo primo flauto traverso”, published by Armelin Musica – Padova, for the past year she has headed a hugely successful project for introducing the fife flute to primary school children at the Cagliari Conservatoire. For the same publisher she has also worked with guitarist Omar Fassa on a modern edition of Neumann’s Grand Serenade Op.17. Moreover, her edition of Giuseppe Gariboldi’s Il riposo dello studio – 10 fantasie eleganti will be published shortly, also by Armelin Musica – Padova. Her most recent recording is a CD of music for flute and guitar duo and septet for two guitars and wind quintet by F. Rebay released under the Scheva Collection label in Milan. Currently teaches flute at the music conservatory of Cagliari Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and she teaches flute in Milan too. Elisa Marroni piano Elisa Marroni began studying the piano at the age of eight, first with Alda Caiello, and then with Francesca Rinchi. She later studied under Carlo Alberto Neri at the Perugia Conservatoire, where she obtained her Diploma. Next came specialization with Michele Rossetti, and courses held at the “Poros Piano Academy” (Poros, Greece), where she attended classes led by eminent international pianists. She also took part in master classes at the 14
Accademia di Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, where her teachers included Ilja Scheps, Andrea Lucchesini, Nina Tichman and Alfredo Peri, and at “Respiramusica” under the pianist and conductor Maurizio Zanini. She has attended courses in musical interpretation at Norcia with pianist Cristiana Pegoraro, with whom she also studied at the Narnia Ars Academy’s summer campus, where she performed with young musicians from all over the world. With her colleagues Luca Maria Burocchi and Daniele Marinelli she founded and is artistic director of TECLAS, a musical association with a focus on teaching, concert performance and audio and video production.
Recording: April 2014, Accademia Musicale Teclas, Perugia,Italy Sound engineers: Luca Maria Burocchi and Daniele Marinelli Mastering engineer: Umberto Ugoberti Artist photos: Floriana Murru (Ligas), Luca Maria Burocchi (Marroni) Cover image: Painter–Piero Ligas / Photographer–Bianca Figus P & © 2015 Brilliant Classics 15