Cristiano Poli Cappelli - Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195, 3 Preludi al Circeo, Op. 194 (2024) [24/96]

The compositions on this CD mark the final forays of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco into expansive works crafted for concert guitarists, bound together by a cohesive concept and a consistent unity of inspiration. Most importantly, they stand as the ultimate pieces for solo guitar that the Italian composer managed to fully complete. “Appunti” op. 210, his final composition for solo guitar, commissioned by Ruggero Chiesa, remain unfinished, albeit of notable merit: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s death precluded their completion, with just the initial two notebooks fulfilled. Moreover, these notebooks were expressly designed for a student audience, since they are characterised by their approachability and mechanical simplicity.

For the reasons outlined above, it is clear that the pieces included in this anthology represent the final two solo guitar works by the Florentine maestro. My decision to record these pieces was driven by the desire to offer a last glimpse into Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s musical perspective in 1961. At that point, he had attained a level of maturity and an understanding of the guitar that enabled him to articulate his musical ideas most effectively, unfettered by external influences. As with all snapshots, these recordings encapsulate a particular moment in the composer’s history, freezing a specific instant with remarkable clarity. This happened despite the rapidity with which Castelnuovo-Tedesco committed his ideas to paper, following often lengthy periods of contemplation, meditation, and development. Additionally, these snapshots illuminate the brief timespan during which these compositions emerged: they are imbued with a significant allure as his final works, yet I maintain that they (alongside “Les Guitares Bien Tempérées” for two guitars) embody the zenith and the comprehensive poetic essence of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s creative journey.

The “3 Preludi al Circeo” op. 194 represent a musically intriguing challenge. The composition is divided into three movements, which can be likened to three acts or scenes from the Odyssey: “The Cave of Circe,” “The Port of Ulysses,” and “The Tomb of Elpenor.” This work stands as a quintessential example of how a literary and mythological narrative, rich with powerful and evocative imagery, can inspire a piece that veers away from traditional guitar compositions for a person of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s cultural sophistication. It utilizes a cryptic language, often presenting both musical and technical challenges if one is to perform it convincingly on the guitar. These include decisions on fingering, legato, highlighting certain voices amidst often complex harmonic and pianistic textures, and managing the transitions between moments of varying emotional tension, potentially leading to a disjointed feel. These interpretive difficulties, possibly even more than the technical demands, may explain the infrequent performances and recordings of these pieces. In the ever-evolving world of guitar music, trends continuously change.

In “The Cave of Circe,” the allusions to and inspirations from the Homeric tale are magnificent, with the music acting as a backdrop to the familiar scene of Ulysses’ crew being transformed into swine by the enchantress Circe. The piece opens with a relentless sequence of sixteenth notes, drawing the listener into an otherworldly, perilous, and alluring realm where the swine’s grunts, Circe’s enamored song, and the dissipation of the enchantment ensue in succession. “The Port of Ulysses” resembles a barcarolle or an icy Habanera, depicting Ulysses’ ship caught in a windless stillness, lacking future confidence, suspended out of time, and overwhelmed by sorcery. For the final movement, “The Tomb of Elpenor,” Castelnuovo-Tedesco selects one of the Odyssey’s lesser-known episodes, focusing on Elpenor, one of Ulysses’ crew turned into swine, who, upon regaining his human shape, dies from a fall, unaware of his surroundings, thus epitomizing the ultimate deceit of reason worked by magic and loss of sanity.

The “24 Caprichos de Goya” op. 195 constitute a colossal undertaking for both the composer and the performer. Alongside the previously mentioned “Les Guitares bien tempérées,” this series is among the most ambitious and comprehensive works of the Italian composer. Drawing inspiration from Francisco Goya’s “Caprichos,” a collection of 80 etchings, Castelnuovo-Tedesco extracts numerous reflective elements and motivations for his own 24 Caprichos. It’s highly likely that Castelnuovo-Tedesco intended to echo aspects and phases of his personal life through his compositions for some of Goya’s engravings, occasionally employing a decipherable code that demands familiarity with his life story, Goya’s biography, and the symbolic meanings embedded in these artworks. Additionally, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s profound connection to Spain and its culture, a “familial” link due to his distant Spanish heritage, plays a significant role. His ancestors’ surname was originally Castilla Nueva, which was Italianized to Castelnuovo. The surname Tedesco was appended by his grandfather Angelo in tribute to the Tedesco family, who bequeathed him a significant legacy.

The Caprichos were initially envisioned with the anticipation of a recording by Andrés Segovia: correspondence between Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Segovia references the project as early as 1958. This detail offers insight into the rapidity of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s creative fruition. The intended recording was to comprise 2 LPs, with six pieces per side, elucidating the rationale behind dividing the work into four notebooks.

Unfortunately, Segovia’s recording never materialised, and the task of revising the project was bestowed upon Angelo Gilardino. Gilardino ingeniously decided to publish the work as notated in the original manuscript, incorporating a double stave for an alternative version where he judged a passage to be unfeasible or overly challenging. In my recording efforts, I endeavoured to adhere as closely as possible to Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s original compositions, while also considering the invaluable advice provided by the alternative stave.

Goya’s eighty engravings constitute a collection of satirical artworks that critique and depict societal maladies such as corruption, avarice, superstition, ignorance, and witchcraft, reflecting the world through the prism of Enlightenment and its intellectual victories. Released on February 6, 1799, they were hastily withdrawn by Goya just two days later due to the immediate controversy they sparked.

In a manner akin to the Caprichos, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “24 Caprichos de Goya” have prompted considerable analysis to discern whether they incorporate symbolic elements or allusions to the composer’s own life. Multiple aspects suggest such a connection, nearly implying that Castelnuovo-Tedesco saw himself, both artistically and personally, mirrored in Goya.

Notably, in Caprice No. 20, “Obsequio à el Maestro,” Castelnuovo-Tedesco employs numerous motifs and excerpts from the works of his mentor, Ildebrando Pizzetti, with whom he had a regrettable falling out. A significant point of contention was Pizzetti’s refusal to allow Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s opera “The Merchant of Venice” to be staged at Teatro della Scala in Milan, despite its victory in the Campari Composition Contest (Pizzetti himself was among the jury members). This profound personal letdown never mended. The caprice “Obsequio à el maestro” cleverly incorporates quotations from Pizzetti, albeit with a somewhat ironic and dismissive tone. Moreover, caprice No. 15 critiques the twelve-tone musical technique, drawing inspiration from Goya’s engraving “Si sabrá mas el discipulo?” where Goya depicts a master and his disciple as donkeys, symbolising ignorance. Here, Castelnuovo-Tedesco satirises twelve-tone music by presenting a series that is ironically altered and punctuated by donkey brays, mocking those students who parrot their teachers without originality. Similarly, the caprice “Brabísimo!” which portrays a monkey strumming a guitar to a donkey’s audience in Goya’s work, serves as a satire on foolish and uninformed politics.

In “El Sueño de la Razón produce Monstruos,” Castelnuovo-Tedesco selects a theme of slow gravity that gradually becomes immersed in increasingly frantic and dire variations, resembling a dizzying nightmare in which reason, once dormant, is ensnared by its own summoned fiends. This composition acts as a definitive Enlightenment declaration, musically interpreting Goya’s exquisite etching of a possibly self-portrayed slumbering man. The scene is strewn with papers and a pen, hinting at a scholarly individual, or simply “man,” who has forsaken the instruments of reason and intellect. Encircling him are the nightmares and stereotypes of the occult and ghastly: owls, wolves, bats – the yield of obscurity to which humanity succumbs upon renouncing reason and enlightenment. The allusion to Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s own history is particularly poignant: in 1939, he was compelled to escape Italy due to the enactment of racial laws which, among other restrictions, prohibited the airing of music by Jewish composers and denied Jewish children access to public education, unveiling a harrowing and ignominious episode in European history. This era is emblematically representative of the monstrosities that can be birthed from irrationality and ignorance.

Not all the compositions within this series of Caprichos directly reflect Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s personal experiences or his life story. Often, they aim to express the insights Goya intended to share. Take, for instance, Capriccio No. 3, “Nadie se conoce,” which portrays a carnival-like tableau, revealing the world as a masquerade where each individual conceals their genuine essence. The whimsical and rustic melody of this capriccio seamlessly aligns with its narrative.

In Capriccio No. 6, “El Amor y la muerte,” Castelnuovo-Tedesco channels Goya’s depiction, as preserved in the Prado Museum manuscript, of a lover who, unable to laugh at his rival, dies in the arms of his beloved and loses her by his daring. The composition oscillates between segments of profound drama and precipitous chord progressions, and tender, tearful, and tension-filled motifs, rendering this capriccio an exquisite gem.

The “24 Caprichos de Goya” stand as a largely untapped treasure, with the music acting as a portal to a realm of citations, imaginations, and artistic expressions that constitute the most eloquent valediction Castelnuovo-Tedesco could offer to the world.

Tracklist:
CD1
01. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 1, Cuaderno Primero: Francisco Goya Y Lucientes, Pintor
02. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 2, Cuaderno Primero: Tal Para Qual
03. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 3, Cuaderno Primero: Nadie Se Conoce
04. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 4, Cuaderno Primero: Ni Asi La Distingue
05. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 5, Cuaderno Primero: Muchachos Al Avio
06. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 6, Cuaderno Primero: El Amor Y La Muerte
07. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 7, Cuaderno Segundo: Estan Calientes
08. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 8, Cuaderno Segundo: Dios La Perdone: Y Era Su Madre
09. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 9, Cuaderno Segundo: Bien Tirada Està
10. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 10, Cuaderno Segundo: Al Conde Palatino
11. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 11, Cuaderno Segundo: Y Se Le Quem La Casa
12. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 12, Cuaderno Segundo: No Hubo Remedio

CD2
01. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 13, Cuaderno Tercero: Quien Mas Rendido?
02. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 14, Cuaderno Tercero: Porque Fue Sensible
03. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 15, Cuaderno Tercero: Si Sabrà Mas El Discipulo?
04. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 16, Cuaderno Tercero: Brabisimo!
05. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 17, Cuaderno Tercero: De Que Mal Morira?
06. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 18, Cuaderno Tercero: El Sueño De La Razon Produce Monstruos
07. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 19, Cuaderno Cuarto: Hilan Delgado
08. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 20, Cuaderno Cuarto: Obsequio A El Maestro
09. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 21, Cuaderno Cuarto: Que Pico De Oro!
10. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 22, Cuaderno Cuarto: Volaverunt
11. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 23, Cuaderno Cuarto: Linda Maestra
12. 24 Caprichos de Goya, Op. 195: No. 24, Cuaderno Cuarto: Sueño De La Mentira Y Inconstancia
13. Tre Preludi al Circeo, Op. 194: No. 1, La Grotta Di Circe
14. Tre Preludi al Circeo, Op. 194: No. 2, Il Porto Di Ulisse
15. Tre Preludi al Circeo, Op. 194: No. 3, La Tomba Di Elpenore


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