Physical and Digital Release: 20 September 2024
| Artist(s) | Cristina Centa, Flavia Del Giudice, Giuseppe Selmi, Jacopo De Biasi, Lisa De Polo, Manuel Cester, Marco Moriello, Raffaele Giordani, Tommaso Orsi |
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| Instrumentation | Bassoon, Cello, Clarinet, Flute, Harp, Mezzo-Soprano, Orchestra, Piano, Tenor, Vibraphone |
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During the traumatic years of Nazi concentration camps, music became a source of solace and resistance for many prisoners. Among them were notable Italian musicians: cellists Giuseppe Selmi (Modena, 1912 – Rome, 1987) and Osvaldo Pirani (Ancona, 1910-2010), and composer Arturo Coppola (Sorrento, 1913 – Treviso, 1998). These men, captured between 1943 and 1945, channeled their harrowing experiences into profound musical compositions.
Giuseppe Selmi wrote two significant works during his imprisonment: the Concerto Spirituale for cello and small orchestra, which won the Viotti Composition Award in 1955, and Soliloquy – Prayer for solo cello. Arturo Coppola, inspired by his friendship with Selmi in the camps, composed the Elegy for cello and piano.
The CD begins with a reissue of Selmi’s historic recording of his Concerto Spirituale, originally pressed on a 33 rpm LP. Composed in the Tarnopol camp in Ukraine in October 1943, Selmi, in a fevered state one morning, felt as if he had performed a concert in his dreams. He hurriedly scribbled the themes on scraps of paper, completing the work by Christmas of the same year. This concerto, which gained international acclaim after the Viotti Award in 1955, opens our collection.
Following is the Soliloquy – Prayer for solo cello, penned in July 1945 in the barrack chapel of the Münster Lager (Germany). This poignant piece, a lament of resignation, became the first of ten solo cello works Selmi would write over the years. From this collection, the CD includes the Preludio Meditativo (Rome, 1966), the Christmas piece La zampogna di Natale (Rome, 1968), and the Soliloquio rapsodico (Cortina d’Ampezzo, 1970). The latter pieces reveal Selmi’s transition to a unique form of Impressionism, likely inspired by the surrounding Dolomites.
In Selmi’s broader works for cello and piano, we find a distinctive piece depicting a morning in a Franciscan convent. The piano mimics bell sounds at the start, with a friar’s prayer echoing towards the end. To grasp the full range of Selmi’s musical expression, listeners should explore the brief piano piece Sigla ostinata, the moving Preghiera for cello and harp, and two concise pieces for solo harp.
Arturo Coppola’s Elegy for cello and piano, his only work for the instrument, was born from his camaraderie with Selmi in the camps. The piece begins with a nod to Gershwin’s Summertime, featuring a broad cello melody that transitions into a contrasting, cinematic section, merging into a singing cadenza.
The CD also debuts Osvaldo Pirani’s complete works, shedding light on a talented yet overlooked musician. His unpublished Andante espressivo e Allegro molto for solo cello stands out. His three short pieces for cello and piano, part of a beginner’s collection, exhibit striking originality, particularly the Danza rituale. His Tre momenti for solo cello vividly depict a comical drunk man struggling before slipping into a puddle.
Pirani’s compositions conclude with a whimsical and technically demanding piece for medium voice and cello about a pearl-thieving crab. Reverie [Dream], a piece for flute and vibraphone, showcases a magnificent interplay of instruments, creating effects of rare beauty and suspense. His works for clarinet and bassoon, requiring high technical skill, still retain a playful character.
Cristina Centa Italian harp player. The interest in Selmi's musical poetry is the natural result of a research wich included also other discography: the main theme is the so called Italian historical 20th Century, with composers like Ottorino Respighi and Gianfrancesco Malipiero (recorded with OPV, Padova and Veneto Orchestra).
Flavia Del Giudice is a Venetian mezzo-soprano. After graduation in oriental languages, driven by her passion for music, she decided to study Opera singing at the Adria Conservatory. Having graduated in 2018, she currently collaborates, both as a soloist and as a chorister, with various musical groups and associations in the Triveneto area. As a soloist she performed Opera, sacred and chamber music concerts and contemporary music repertoires. Currently, after graduating at the Verona Conservatory, she also works as a music therapist in various social contexts.
Giuseppe Selmi (1912-1987) studied cello at the Orazio Vecchi Musical Institute in Modena under Prof. Ercole Brettagna, a student of Francesco Serato. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and refined his skills with Enrico Mainardi and Pablo Casals. After his capture on September 8, 1943, Selmi endured the concentration camps of Beniaminow, Tarnopol, and Münster. Despite these conditions, he composed significant cello works. Post-war, he held a prestigious chair at the Santa Cecilia National Academy and served as principal cellist for the RAI Symphony Orchestra in Rome. He collaborated with renowned conductors like Bruno Walter, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein, and composed numerous works for solo cello, piano, and harp. Later, he developed a passion for the viola da gamba, inspired by a gift from his wife.
Jacopo De Biasi Student of clarinet in Adria Conservatory of music, plays in various orchestras throughout Veneto and Italy. Winner of several competitions, he is first clarinet soloist with various orchestras, including the Adria Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the Belluno Youth Orchestra, the Veneto Music High School Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Italian String School. He perfected himself with several teachers. He played the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in Belluno during the 2023 New Year's Concert and Brahms' Quintet op. 115 for clarinet and strings with the Italian String School Quartet.
Lisa De Polo young Italian pianist, recorded many cd’s for Brilliant Classics and BAM Music. She teaches piano in some Music Schools and is now perfecting herself in Piano accompaniment with Romilda Beraldo.
Manuel Cester, eclectic musician, plays modern and baroque bassoon, dulcian and contrabassoon. He has toured all Europe and China with various chamber music groups, playing repertoire from Reinassance to rock. He regularly appears in Italy and Europe in numerous orchestras playing also as a soloist. He graduated from Venice Conservatory, then attended numerous masterclasses and seminars with the most renowned bassoonists in Italy and abroad. Graduated in art school, Manuel is very passionate about art history and has been engaging for many years in a research about bassoon iconography during the centuries.
Marco Moriello graduated in Campobasso Conservatory of Music, he is currently studying Chamber Music. He perfected himself with many teachers, joined several masterclasses and won prizes in Italian music competitions. He was also among the finalists of the "London Competitions”. He is very active playing in numerous orchestras and ensembles.. He permanently holds the role of Timpanist at the “Circle Symphony Orchestra”. Teacher of percussion instruments in Belluno High School and covers the role of percussion section trainer for the Veneto Musical Lyceums Orchestra.
Raffaele Giordani is one of the most world acclaimed tenor of the present time especially in Renaissance and Baroque music.
Tommaso Orsi, flute player, in 2022 he got 2nd Level Academic Diploma with highest honors with Professors Michele Antonelli and Angela Camerini. He is now studying Chamber Music and at the same time he is attending the Specialization Course in Flute held in Fiesole Music School.
Arturo Coppola (1913-1998) graduated in piano from the Neapolitan Conservatory in 1932 and earned a degree in choral training from the Venice Conservatory in 1939. Arrested after September 1943, he befriended writer Giannino Guareschi in the Benjaminow camp. Transferred to Sandbostel and Wietzendorf, Coppola composed the Elegy for cello and piano, among other works. After the war, he taught music and primarily composed jazz pieces.
Giuseppe Selmi (1912-1987) studied cello at the Orazio Vecchi Musical Institute in Modena under Prof. Ercole Brettagna, a student of Francesco Serato. He graduated from the Parma Conservatory and refined his skills with Enrico Mainardi and Pablo Casals. After his capture on September 8, 1943, Selmi endured the concentration camps of Beniaminow, Tarnopol, and Münster. Despite these conditions, he composed significant cello works. Post-war, he held a prestigious chair at the Santa Cecilia National Academy and served as principal cellist for the RAI Symphony Orchestra in Rome. He collaborated with renowned conductors like Bruno Walter, Igor Stravinsky, and Leonard Bernstein, and composed numerous works for solo cello, piano, and harp. Later, he developed a passion for the viola da gamba, inspired by a gift from his wife.
Osvaldo Pirani (1910-2010) studied cello at the Pesaro Conservatory and began teaching at the Strings School in Foggia. As a Jewish musician, he was captured and imprisoned in Berlin’s Siemens-Salzhof labor camp, where his musical talents saved him from certain death. After returning to Italy, he continued teaching and founded the cello school in Northern Apulia. He retired in 1979 and later moved back to Ancona. Pirani’s compositions, including works for solo cello and chamber ensembles, reflect his resilience and creativity. His instruments, a Raffaele Fiorini (1894) and a Giulio Degani (1912), contributed to the distinct character of his music.
13.55€
