Pietro Cimara: L’Infinito, Art Songs for Soprano & Piano
12.90€
- Artist(s): Alberto Nones, Nunzia Santodirocco
- Composer(s): Pietro Cimara
- EAN Code: 7.93611610262
- Edition: Da Vinci Classics
- Format: 1 Cd
- Genre: Vocal
- Instrumentation: Piano, Soprano
- Period: Modern
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Description
Extract from: Pietro Cimara, the infinite. Or all in a how, An essay by Alberto Nones
Pietro Cimara was born in 1887 in Rome, where he studied composition at the Liceo musicale di Santa Cecilia with Ottorino Respighi, “my Master” to whom he would dedicate Notte d’estate, and died in Milan in 1967. But aside from traces of information to be found in a few sources, he is a figure wrapped in mystery. Son of Giovanna Putti and Giuseppe, it is not known how he approached music; it is certain that he also studied with teachers like Stanislao Falchi and Alessandro Bustini (who will also teach Petrassi and Maderna), complementing his studies with a degree in law. He began working at the Costanzi theater in Rome first as a substitute and then as a conductor, also distinguishing himself (especially within aristocratic circles) as the composer of songs. A decisive moment was the preparation in that same theater of Il Trittico by Puccini, whose triumphal premiere was in 1919, and on which occasion the young Cimara collaborated not only with Puccini, but also with Toscanini. In the following years he was assistant and collaborator with the main conductors of the time, such as Tullio Serafin and Vittorio Gui (a composer of art songs, too). Gui, on the occasion in which he invited Cimara to conduct La traviata at Covent Garden many years later, wrote that the invitation was due to a man who usually worked behind the scenes and must see his talent openly recognized. In the meantime, Cimara’s reputation of “unsurpassed accompanist” had brought him to work with both the spinto soprano Eva Tetrazzini-Campanini, and her more famous sister Luisa Tetrazzini, coloratura soprano whom he accompanied in a world tour in ’19 -’20, in which the programs presented some compositions of Cimara, too. A 1922 document testifies his qualities at the piano. It is a CBS/Odyssey LP of the “legendary performances” series, which we could listen to thanks to the ICBSA State Audiovisual Archive in Rome. It features bass Salvatore Baccaloni who – besides declaiming some Sonetti romaneschi by Trilussa over a mesmerizing and witty piano improvisation – interprets various arias and songs from his repertoire, as well as Cimara’s Fiocca la neve (transposed in C minor from the G minor of the printed editions, and with double bass in the last two chords) with the composer at the piano. Cimara demonstrates here not only the dynamic and agogic command of a great conductor, but also the palette of sounds of a great pianist. In that whirling of concerts and conducting, composition was doomed to remain in a niche. In 1928 Cimara began working at the Metropolitan in New York, where he conducted an impressive number of operas and concerts with the foremost singers of the day, really without sparing himself until 1958, when, conducting La forza del destino (of course!), he fell from the podium in the orchestra pit and was taken to the hospital, while violinist Walter Hagen stepped to the podium to complete the scene; quite a coupe de théâtre, one might think, but it was a serious heart attack, after which he could not resume working again. Since his untiring commitment as a conductor had almost invariably been in roles of preparation and second performances, Cimara went into obscurity. His character had always led in that direction, and perhaps he had become even more reserved after the early death of his only daughter. Melody M Rich, the author of a doctoral thesis which is one of the few sources of information on Cimara’s life and works to-day, hypothesized that the mysterious dedication of Nostalgia “to …” could have been meant for her daughter, and we like to believe it too. A shy person, jealous of his affections, Cimara loved and served music with total dedication but without outcry. It is an even greater and rarer privilege, therefore, to contribute to bringing his music and figure back to light. The music is so heartfelt and authentically inspired, in our opinion, that perhaps the composer himself was torn between cultivating and giving it to the public, or keeping it in a drawer or at least just within small circles. Infinite in the sense of unfinished or incomplete, one would seem to have to conclude.
[…]Italian Version: http://mimesis-scenari.it/2019/06/07/3456/
Artist(s)
Alberto Nones: PhD, he is carving out a distinctive path as a pianist-scholar. A Chopin specialist, he has garnered international recognition for his double album dedicated to Chopin’s Complete Mazurkas (Continuo Records, 2016, digitally reissued by Halidon Music in 2024), and an EP featuring Chopin’s Complete Fantasies (Convivium Records, 2022), widely acclaimed by both audiences and the press. Nones’s recordings also delve into the soul-stirring realms of Rachmaninov and Silvestrov within the solo repertoire (Anima Records, 2022), the Sonatas for Piano and Violin by Johannes Brahms (Luna Rossa Classic, 2017), and the vocal chamber music of Pietro Cimara and Marco Anzoletti (both with Da Vinci Classics), Johannes Brahms and Isang Yun (Halidon Music). Beyond the keys, Alberto Nones stands as a fervent advocate for the enduring relevance of classical music. For him, it is not just a matter of technical pursuit but a vehicle for emotions, sentiments, and ideas. His education in music, the humanities and the social sciences, spanning the “Bonporti” Conservatory of Music in Trento, the University of Bologna, the London School of Economics, and the University of Trento, brings a rich academic tapestry to his interpretations. A former Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Cambridge and a Fulbright researcher and Post-Doc at Princeton University, he has taught political philosophy and communication at the universities of Trento, Lugano, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as piano and musicology at the conservatories of Como, Gallarate, Matera and Perugia. He currently holds a tenured position as a Full Professor in the History of Music at the “Rossini” Conservatory of Music in Pesaro. Professor Nones’s recordings are always accompanied by intensive research work, which typically yields essay-style liner notes. His contributions to musicology span also include monographs on Verdi, Zandonai, Bonporti, and the Doors, showcasing a noteworthy breadth of knowledge. Alberto Nones's role as the founder and president of the Associazione Europea di Musica e Comunicazione (AEMC) underscores his commitment to fostering dialogue between scholars and musicians worldwide. His performances and talks extend beyond conventional venues, resonating in open-air spaces, schools, churches, and NGOs. Alberto Nones strives to weave together the strands of tradition and innovation, and to align music with an Adornian sociopolitical perspective – quite rare in today’s artistic landscape.
Nunzia Santodirocco
Critics have described her as "a soprano with a powerful voice, rich in harmonics, able to delight the public with her highly dramatic connotations”.
After graduating in both singing and piano, she immediately began a career that led her to sing the main lyric soprano roles in some of the most prestigious theaters around the world. Suffice it to recall here the following most recent engagements: "Aida" at the Arena of Verona, Julian Kovatchev conducting, and at the Teatro Verdi in Salerno, with Daniel Oren, as well as at the Daegu Opera Festival in Korea and at the Seoul Arts Center in a production by Teatro alla Scala; "Tosca" at the Cairo Opera House and at the Politeama Theater of Lecce; "Madama Butterfly" at the Seoul Arts Center (in a production of Teatro Petruzzelli, directed by Daniele Abbado), and in Kyoto (a production of Teatro Comunale di Bologna); "Un ballo in maschera" at the Cervantes Theater in Malaga in co-production with Opéra de Massy, and at the Politeama of Lecce; opera gala at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has invited her as representative of bel canto throughout the world (Uzbekistan, Georgia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Senegal, Bolivia, Ireland, the UK, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Hungary). In 2007, upon the thirtieth anniversary of Maria Callas's death, she was chosen for the stage show "Callas Album", a test that proved her ability to "give voice" to The Divine in some of the most challenging numbers of her famously wide-ranging repertoire. On that occasion she started collaborating with Alberto Nones.
Her recordings include "Madama Butterfly" (Ricordi), "Lo sposo burlato" (Bongiovanni), "Giuseppe riconosciuto" by Anfossi (Fonè) and the Complete Oratorios by Carissimi (Brilliant Classics).