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Romantic Flute Concertos
DUPUY & BĂœCHNER
Ginevra Petrucci flute Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali Maurizio Ciampi conductor
Edouard Dupuy (1770 – 1822) Edouard Dupuy was born in Corcelles, Switzerland, next to Lake Neuchâtel at an unspecified date between 1770 and 1771. He began his musical studies at the age of fourteen and pursued them in Paris, with F. Chambran for the violin and with J. L. Dussek for piano and composition. A very precocious talent, in 1785 he was hired as a violinist in the orchestra of King Frederick the Great’s brother, Prince Henry of Prussia, in Rheinsberg. Dupuy’s extraordinary and eclectic musical talent granted him the unconditional protection of the Prince for many years, despite his provocative and amorous adventures; nevertheless, when in 1793 Dupuy dared to disturb a church function by entering on horseback, nothing could excuse him, and he was finally dismissed. Thus began a period of concert activity in Europe until he settled in Stockholm, where he was soon appointed “III Konsertmästare” and where he made his debut as a baritone at the Royal Theatre, to great success. After being expelled from Sweden as well, for singing a hymn to Napoleon, he took refuge in Copenhagen where he became famous as a teacher, composer and singer. He sung, among others, the title role of the Danish premiere of “Don Giovanni” by Mozart in 1807, the same year in which he showed heroism during the Battle of Copenhagen following the bombing by the British fleet. At the height of his popularity, a new scandalous affair with Princess Charlotte Frederica, betrothed to the future King, obliged him to be exiled in Paris, where he lived for two years before the future Charles XIV granted him to return to Sweden, where he resumed his activities as singer, conductor, composer and teacher. He died in Stockholm on April 3rd 1822. His typically romantic character serves as precursor to the great exponents of the new artistic manifesto such as Paganini, Chopin and Liszt, through its audacity and creativity. Even though one cannot draw a certain conclusion, it is interesting to know that the first and third movements of this concerto are almost identical to the corresponding movements of a flute concerto composed by Peter von Winter (17541825), instrumental and operatic composer based in Mannheim. 2
Ferdinand Büchner (1825 – 1912) Friedrich Heinrich Martin Ferdinand Büchner was born in the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Germany in 1823. He began studying the flute at a young age under the guidance of his father, who was a very talented flute player. In 1838, aged only 15, he performed in public with great success in London, giving proof at that young age of the prodigious abilities that would characterize his entire artistic career. Büchner remained in Hannover for a few years to perfect his flute technique with Christian Heinemeyer (1796-1873), while studying harmony, orchestration and deepening his knowledge of music. Upon graduation in 1847, he accepted an engagement as principal flute in a chamber orchestra in Berlin where he remained for three years, quickly earning the esteem of the public and of the major professional musicians of the area. In 1850 he went to Russia and took an active part for the next six years in the musical life of St. Petersburg, a city which was at that time an artistic center of great importance. In 1856 he was invited to become soloist at the Imperial Theatre in Moscow. The advantages and opportunities that this job could have offer him led him to accept, and his performances of the orchestra flute solos were judged by the critics as “artistically very beautiful, with a round and noble sound and a correct, elegant and refined technique.” He kept this place, with increasing success, until shortly before his death in 1912 at the age of 89. Büchner earned an enviable reputation in Russia as a soloist and as a teacher, and when Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894) founded the Conservatory of Music in Moscow, Büchner had the honor of being chosen as the first professor of flute at the nascent prestigious school. He composed many works for flute including didactic and chamber works and eight concerti for flute and large orchestra of great technical difficulty and with original features, such as the present Concerto No.1 in f minor that includes a very long and complex cadenza at the end of the third movement. © Gian-Luca Petrucci
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Praised by the Italian press as being “one of the most interesting talents of her generation”, and described as having “a beautiful phrasing, brilliant virtuosity and a legato worthy of a great singer” by The Flutist Quarterly, Ginevra Petrucci is an internationally renowned musician with a dynamic performance schedule. Her concert diary has led her to perform in some of the most prestigious concert halls throughout Europe, America, Brazil, Israel, Turkey and Africa, alongside acclaimed artists. An active chamber musician, Petrucci regularly performs with ensembles such as I Virtuosi Italiani, I Musici di Roma and the Kodály Quartet. Her recordings include Giulio Briccialdi’s four flute Concerti with I Virtuosi Italiani (first world recording, Bongiovanni 2009), the complete Quintets by Friedrich Kuhlau with the Kodály Quartet (Brilliant Classics 2013), the complete Flute Duets by Haydn (Brilliant Classics 2015) and a recital CD with Bruno Canino (Dynamic Records2015). She has been visiting professor and has presented masterclasses and lecture-recitals at major music academies and conservatoires in Europe and Asia. As a strong advocate of modern and contemporary music, she had direct collaborations with composers Kaija Saariaho, Steve Reich, George Crumb, Betsy Jolas and Jean-Michel Damase, as well as with several composers of her generation both in the United States and in Italy, where she collaborates with Nuova Consonanza Contemporary Music Festival and La Biennale di Venezia. Born in 1989 in Rome (Italy), she studied at Conservatorio ‘Santa Cecilia’ of Rome with her father, to continue her education at Ecole Normale ‘Alfred Cortot’ (Paris) and at the Yale University (USA). In 2012 she was named the recipient of the The Thomas Daniel Nyfenger Prize for highest standard of excellence in woodwind playing by the Yale University. She is President of Associazione Musicale Leonardo De Lorenzo and Artistic Director of Accademia Mercadante. 4
“Maurizio Ciampi is one of the most exceptional musicians I have ever heard, an incredible talent.” (American Record Guide). Maurizio Ciampi is widely known as a specialist opera conductor of the traditional Italian Bel Canto repertoire. Being a passionate scholar as well, Maurizio Ciampi currently is a leading professor of conducting vocal and sacred music at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia in Rome. Among the highlights of Ciampi’s artistic and research projects, have been the discovery of many lost operas of Italian repertoire, of which he published numerous critical editions. With a large discography under his belt, he has left a legacy of recordings of world premiere performances, many of which have received critical acclaim. In his distinguished career, Maurizio Ciampi conducted many orchestras and opera ensembles in Italy, Eastern Europe, the United States, Latin America, and the republics of the former Soviet Union. Having performed more than 200 operas and concerts, Maurizio Ciampi has collaborated with internationally renowned vocalists and instrumentalists. From 1990-1999, he directed the “International Music Festival” in Pompeii. In 2000, Maurizio Ciampi was elected an honorary member of the “Bellini Foundation”. During the following 5 years, Maurizio Ciampi conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra in Catania, Italy, working as artistic director and principal conductor of the orchestra. Maurizio Ciampi started his musical career as a pianist and organist. His recording of Studies by J. Demessieux garnered him a reputation of a virtuoso and thus also he received international critical acclaim as a performing musician as well. He studied piano, organ, conducting and composition and graduated with honours.
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The Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali” made its debut in Milan in 1945. Right from the start its aim was to present its audience with the core chamber orchestra repertoire, but above all present many contemporary compositions. Not only did the orchestra commission many works by composers such as Berio, Donatoni and Maderna, it also included many works of Stravinsky, Hindemith, Webern, Berg, Poulenc, Honegger, Copland and Ives in its comprehensive programs. Many famous artists performed with I Pomeriggi: Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti, Salvatore Accardo, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Maurizio Pollini are among them. Nowadays, I Pomeriggi Musicali proposes a wide repertoire varying from the masterpieces of the Baroque and Classical repertoire to the highlights of the contemporary repertoire for chamber orchestra. “I Pomeriggi Musicali” performs in the historical Teatro Dal Verme, located in the heart of Milan and regularly tours widely across Italy and beyond in the main concert venues in Europe.
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Dupuy Concerto: Edizioni Ricordi 1992 (Aurèle Nicolet, Gian-Luca Petrucci). Büchner Concerto: Zimmermann 1996 (Gian-Luca Petrucci) The scores of Dupuy and Büchner Concerti were historically revised by Maurizio Ciampi. (Athenaeum Editions 2014) Recording: 15-16 September 2014, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, Italy Recording production, editing, mix & mastering: Renato Campajola, Mario Bertodo www.smcrecords.it Cover image: Ivan Nikolaevic Kramskoi, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, 1883 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow - & © 2015 Brilliant Classics 7