Erik Bruchez
Wed, 07 Dec 2005 07:07:15 -0800
Dear list, Today December 7 is Pietro Mascagni's 142nd birthday, and a good opportunity for the second volume of the Mascagni Newsletter! This is a summary of the most significant Mascagni news, which you will also find online at http://www.mascagni.org/: 1. Italian label Bongiovanni has just released the world first recording of In Filanda. The recording, from a performance of April 6, 2003 in Naples, Italy, features Rossella Redoglia as Ninetta, Massimiliano Fichera as the manager of the factory, Antonio de Palma as Beppo, and I Solisti di Napoli under the baton of Susanna Pescetti. As reported by Alan Mallach in his excellent biography, Mascagni started work on this early cantata on a text by his teacher Alfredo Soffredini on December 2, 1880, just before his 17th birthday. The piano-vocal score was finished just over a month later, on January 7, 1881, and most of the orchestral score by January 29. The premiere took place on February 9, 1881. The cantata was reworked into an opera for a competition two years later, under the name Pinotta. The music saw its first performance under that name only fifty years later, in 1932. Two recordings of Pinotta already exist. The Bongiovanni catalog also includes several other works by Mascagni, including a recent release of Isabeau, but also Nerone, Il piccolo Marat (all three conducted by Kees Bakels), Sì, Rapsodia Satanica and Visione Lirica, L'apoteosi della cicogna, Pinotta, A Giacomo Leopardi and Zanetto, as well as songs and works for piano. It will be fascinating to compare the music from In Filanda with that of Pinotta. CD details: http://www.mascagni.org/recordings/510670 2. Pietro Mascagni - Life and Works - A New Book in Italian Pietro Mascagni - la vita e le opere by Nedo Benvenuti, noted Mascagni scholar, is a revision of Pietro Mascagni nella vita e nell'arte by the same author, published in 1981. The new version covers a wide range of topics, organized into the following sections: * Life (37 pages) * Mascagni and Livorno (21 pages) * Photos and illustrations (17 pages) * Works (15 pages) * Libretti (8 pages) * Quick catalog of Mascagni's librettists (2 pages) * Report of the second Sonzogno competition (4 pages) * Critical musical analysis (38 pages) * Chronology (18 pages) * Appendix: Letters from Mascagni to Guido Menasci during the composition of Amica (12 pages) * Appendix: Parisina press book (65 pages) It is difficult to rapidly compare the new version (256 pages) with the earlier one (160 pages) as the layout and typography have changed and have in fact been significantly improved. It is however worth noting that several sections of the new version are entirely new, as are all the illustrations, and that the text appears to have been entirely revised. Pietro Mascagni - la vita e le opere is available immediately. Book details: http://www.mascagni.org/bibliography/510506 3. Soundtrack of Raging Bull Released The soundtrack of the movie Raging Bull, which features three pieces by Mascagni, has just been released. The double CD has 37 tracks, including the three Mascagni tracks: * Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana (twice) * Barcarola from Silvano * Intermezzo (Il Sogno di Ratcliff) from Guglielmo Ratcliff According to preliminary information, the three pieces appear to have been performed by the Orchestra of the Municipal Theatre of Bologna conducted by Arturo Basile. It is the first time with this release that the Barcarola from Silvano becomes widely available. CD details: http://www.mascagni.org/recordings/510559 4. Fantasia sulla Cavalleria Rusticana The score for a Fantasia sulla Cavalleria Rusticana (Fantasy on Cavalleria Rusticana), as work for piano composed by pianist Calogero Di Liberto, is now available from Casa Musicale Sonzogno The 8-minute long piece is essentially inspired from themes out of Cavalleria Rusticana. A CD is also in the works. It will feature a performance of the Fantasy, performed by the composer. 5. The Teatro Goldoni Foundation of Livorno, with the perspective of productions of Mascagni operas during upcoming opera seasons, is setting up a cycle of auditions in order to look for voices adapted to the music of Mascagni, for possible inclusion within performances at the theater, in particular performances under the umbrella of the Mascagni Project. More details: http://www.mascagni.org/news/#id104 6. Various performances of Mascagni works have taken place, including L'amico Fritz in Rochester, USA in October; Silvano in Livorno, Italy in July; and "Homage to Verismo" recitals in Livorno in July and August. Amica, which celebrated its centennary this year, unfortunately only saw a tentative performance in August / September, which had to be canceled because of the weather. It is a real shame that no major opera house was able to program Amica this year, as it is an extremely interesting opera musically, and dramatic enough to draw some interest. 7. A new article from L'Illustrazione Italiana, "Le avventure di Mascagni in America. Il giro trionfale della Duse negli Stati Uniti.", has been added. The article itself is not extremely interesting, but it features a nice picture of Mascagni on his way to the United States in 1902. This picture is currently featured on the home page of Mascagni.org. Article (in Italian): http://www.mascagni.org/articles/19030301-illustrazione-it Original document: http://www.mascagni.org/book-reader/image/510538/1/0 Photo only: http://www.mascagni.org/framed-images/510536 Today and the upcoming days are a particularly good time to listen or play some Mascagni music, and I hope you will treat yourself! -Erik _______________________________________________ mascagni-interest mailing list mascagni-interest@lists.alphanet.ch http://lists.alphanet.ch/mailman/listinfo/mascagni-interest