There are different ways in which a classically trained composer can nowadays be labelled as contemporary, whereas such a term is not intended in the literal/chronological sense. For some, being contemporary means to keep following the path ‒ the only possible one, according to the advocates of the most orthodox avant-garde movement ‒ opened up by the dodecaphonic school and resulted in structuralism or, alternatively, in spectralism. For others, contemporaneity must rather be sought and pursued by abandoning the strictness of cold and dissonant formalism, and by experimenting with classical as well as non-classical sources, the latter comprising jazz, rock, folk, and electronic music. For still others, it is possible to write contemporary music by moving along the lines traced by western classical music tradition, i.e. by recovering and renewing its stylistic features and formal solutions and by using them in order to satisfy those expressive ends which are perceived as more urgent. The latter ‒ according to the threefold subdivision hereby proposed, not to be understood in a strict sense, insofar as it allows for mutual intrusions ‒ is the way followed by David Fontanesi. His language draws fully ‒ in a conscious but creative manner ‒ from the rich array of techniques inherited from the past: counterpoint, in the first place; the dialectical resources of tonal harmony; classic forms like fugue or theme with variations. He is able to combine dense contrapuntal dialogues between the instruments with episodes of genuine lyricism. Paradigmatic, in this sense, are the sonatas for flute and oboe (composed respectively in 2017 and in 2018), in which melodies imbued with a subtle feeling of nostalgia flow through smooth harmonic canvases ‒ which recall some twentieth-century French composers, such as Poulenc or Francaix ‒ before they give way to the rhythmic liveliness of the baroque-like fast sections, which sometimes make their entrance even during the unfolding of a slow movement. Within a firm and balanced structural frame, Fontanesi introduces subtle but clearly perceptible deviations, which keep the listener’s interest alive and lead to surprising shifts in content. An example is found in the bassoon Sonata, whose melodic treatment leads to a semantic ambiguity that carries us through the realms of the elegiac, the meditative and the burlesque ‒ thus exploiting the natural disposition of the bassoon to express emotional states of such a kind ‒ and that, due to the restless rhythmic figures performed by the piano, ends up in an almost metaphysical sensation of inevitability, only slightly attenuated by the unexpected conclusive diminuendo. Sometimes the significant deviations are to be found in those intrusions I mentioned above. The Diaphoniae concertanti quartet (2017) for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, which is divided into twelve short movements, is ‒ as the title itself suggests (diaphonia means just that: dissonance) ‒ focused on the dissonances generated by melodic twists, harmonic progressions and timbral combinations. Nonetheless, we are far away from the bothering cacophony associated with radical atonality; here the sonic harshness is used as a tool to introduce moments of ension while leaving room for enjoyable listening experiences, which are guaranteed by the admirable overall polyphonic architecture as well as by the intricate mosaic of variations carefully devised by the Author. The result is ‒ here as elsewhere ‒ a music which oscillates between the ancient and the modern, thus eliciting an engaging contrast between an atmosphere of familiarity and a sense of bewilderment which brings to mind some paintings belonging to the Hyper-mannerist art movement of the 80’s, better known as Anachronism.
Once again, chamber music reveals itself to be the most apt field to bring out the dialogic and intimate nature of the Italian composer’s writing. This is, indeed, the fourth recording of his works for chamber music groups, which in this case range from the short and virtuoso piece for solo clarinet (2016) to the above-mentioned wind quartet. It is in this context that David Fontanesi masterfully manages to combine formal clarity and expressive conciseness, and to mix melodic fluidity with rhythmic flexibility; these are the chief ingredients that shape his style and mark out his path ‒ a path which is well-established but still capable of future developments ‒ within the Third Way of contemporary music.
Album Notes by Filippo Focosi
David Fontanesi: Chamber Music & Sonatas for Winds
