My discographic project places the viola at the centre of diverse and interesting chamber music works. The solo- or Trio-Sonatas I propose, dating from the second half of the eighteenth century, with viola, cello, fortepiano or harpsichord, provide us with a detailed fresco of the compositional variety found in Europe at the end of the Baroque era: style galant, Berlinese Empfindsamkeit and references to the style of the new schools of Mannheim and Vienna. It was in this period that some among the protagonists of European music decided to give a new light to this instrument, freeing it from its role as an orchestra’s “dull ripieno”, as recounted by William Flackton in his Introduction to the Six Solos op. 2:
The Solos for a Tenor Violin are intended to shew that Instrument in a more conspicuous Manner, than it has hitherto been accustomed; the Part generally allotted to it being little more than a dull Ripiano, an Accessory or Auxiliary, to fill up or compleat the Harmony in Full Pieces of Music; though it must be allowed, that at some particular Times, it has been permitted to accompany a Song , and likewife to lead in a Fugue; yet even then, it is assisted by one or more Instruments in the Unisons or Octaves, to prevent , if possible ,its being distinguished from any other Instruments; or, if it happens to be heard but in so small a Space as a Bar or two, ‘tis quickly overpowered again with a Crowd of Instruments and lost in Chorus.
All of the pieces selected here (one of which is in world premiere) are performed with an extreme care for the contemporaneous performance practice, including the thoughtful choice of the instruments so as to recreate, as precisely as possible, an “authentic” sound. One of the fortepianos used for this recording is a copy of one by Johann Gottfried Silbermann, whose instruments were owned by Frederick II of Prussia (one for each of his residences), to be employed for private concerts and regularly played by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Another is a copy of one by Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the fortepiano, who was in the service of the Medici in Florence.
Francesca Venturi Ferriolo
Several red threads connect the works recorded in this Da Vinci Classics album and the composers represented here, beyond the obvious chronological considerations and the similarity in the performing forces. A first element is the city of Berlin, along with one of its most important citizens ever, Frederick the Great. A fine musician himself and a lavish patron of the arts and enlightened ruler, Frederick contributed substantially to the cultural and musical life of his era. Johann Gottlieb Graun (1703-1771) got acquainted with him when Frederick was still a Prince, in Rheinsberg (1732), becoming one of his court musicians there and later following him in Berlin, where he would remain Kapellmeister at the Royal Chapel until his death. Also Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (1708-1762) moved to Berlin at almost the same time (1733), although his first employment was not in the musical field: he served in fact for three years as the secretary of a Prussian minister, Franz Wilhelm von Happe. Only in 1736 was his musical talent truly discovered, and Janitsch became contraviolinist in the King’s ensemble (in Rheinsberg first, and later in Berlin). Through the good offices of Johann Gottlieb Graun and of his brother Carl Heinrich, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) was also appointed a member of Frederick the Great’s court orchestra, and followed him in Berlin in 1740. The Prussian capital city saw also many successful performances by the Italian Felice Giardini (1716-1796), who spent some time there before settling in London, where he lived for many years.
In London, Giardini became acquainted with Johann Christian Bach, who was Johann Sebastian’s youngest son: their friendly relationship and positive professional cooperation resulted, on the one hand, in Bach’s observable influence on Giardini’s compositional style, and, on the other, in Giardini’s participation in the famous series of the “Bach-Abel” concerts, one of the most important musical events of the era, which substantially shaped the musical life in London (leaving a long-lasting mark even in the following century) and also beyond the City. Bach’s partner, Abel, was involved in the revision of William Flackton’s Six Solos: different from the other composers represented here, Flackton (1709-1798) was not primarily a musician, and his main field of activity was publishing and bookselling, though his considerable musical skills and knowledge are abundantly testified by his large compositional output. Nevertheless, as he himself acknowledged, he felt “particular Obligations to Mr Abel, for inspecting [his] Work in Manuscript before it went to the Press”. If the “Bach-Abel” initiatives linked Giardini with Flackton, other two members of the Bach family were involved in Johann Gottlieb Graun’s life, since, on Johann Sebastian’s request, Graun taught the violin to his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann. Thus, another of the red threads found in this programme is represented by the Bach family, from Wilhelm Friedemann to Carl Philipp Emanuel to Johann Christian, who were among the protagonists of the musical scene of their era.
Last but not least, these musicians and works are also connected by their common references to the Italian instrumental tradition and violin school. This is, of course, particularly evident in the case of Felice Giardini, who was born in Turin, Italy, and studied under the guidance of Giovanni Battista Somis, one of the greatest violinists of the era. Giardini maintained important links with his homeland, in spite of his very erratic life with continuing travels and resettlements in various European countries (including Russia, where he would die at eighty). Through his Italian acquaintances, Giardini was able to secure a valuable Stradivari violin for his patron, Lord Aylesford, to whom the viola sonata recorded here is also dedicated. Even though Giardini is the only Italian composer represented here, Graun had also been the student of a major figure of the Italian violin school (perhaps the greatest, together with Corelli), i.e. the Istrian Giuseppe Tartini, whose spectacular technique is observable in the works of his former student. The connection between Janitsch (who was born in a city today belonging to Poland) and Italy is looser, but it is interesting to know that he had become so fluent in the Italian musical language of the era that a Sinfonia he composed used to be ascribed to Antonio Vivaldi.
Besides biographical considerations, the most important red thread which connects the works of the German, Polish-born, Italian and English composers represented here is their common attempt at the creation of a new idiom of music, which was rooted within the late-Baroque instrumental tradition and yet was exploring new solutions, particularly as concerns the role of instruments which had previously been neglected in their soloistic potential, such as the viola. The importance of melody in the musical style of the late eighteenth century represented a favourable context for the flowering and development of a new role for the viola, given its singing tone quality, the varied character of its expressive nuances, and its special suitability for the intimate context of chamber music. This recording therefore offers us a virtual, or rather artistic and musical journey through Europe, and the possibility of witnessing the birth of a new genre, the Viola Sonata, which will produce unforgettable masterpieces in the following centuries, paving the way for the ultimate appreciation of the viola’s unique and touching qualities.
Liner notes by Chiara Bertoglio