FRANCOCAVALLONEMUSIC FOR GUITAR

Cristiano Porqueddu

Franco Cavallone b.1957Music for Guitar

Ten Progressive Studies1. Moderato 2’082. Tranquillo 1’393. Moderato 1’134. Allegretto 0’595. Andante mosso 1’266. Calmo ed espressivo 2’407. Mosso 1’068. Moderatamente 5’589. Allegretto 2’0810. Andante poco mosso 1’31

Sonata I (Omaggio a Ponce e Ravel)11. I Allegro Moderato 5’3112. II Adagietto ritmico 2’5213. III Allegro moderato 3’21

Sonata II (Omaggio ai compositori Americani) 14. I Moderato 4’2615. II Adagio non troppo 2’5216. III Allegro 3’26

Sonata III (Omaggio ai neo-classici) 17. I Moderato 5’5218. II Lento ma teso 6’0719. III Allegro 2’29

Sonata IV (Omaggio al Novecento) 20. I Allegro moderato 3’3221. II Andante 3’3522. III Andante mosso 2’06

23. Di tante lagrime...* 9’04 (Omaggio a Francisco Tarréga nel centenario della morte)

12 Short Preludes*46. I Riflessivo 1’5047. II Lentamente 2’0848. III Leggero 1’4249. IV Mestamente 0’5350. V Con calma 1’1451. VI Teso e drammatico 2’1752. VII Vivo 1’2953. VIII Corale 2’3454. IX Solare 1’3655. X Adagio 2’3256. XI Arioso 1’5757. XII Come un ricordo 2’04

Sonatina “Omaggio a B. Britten” – à Cristiano Porqueddu58. I Liberamente, non troppo

lento – Allegretto 7’4959. II Adagio 5’2260. III Allegretto 6’47

“Anime Gementi” Sonatina per chitarra - à Cristiano Porqueddu61. I Con andamento flessibile 6’2062. II Lento 5’2863. III Allegretto 5’55

64. Varii Lamenti – Omaggio a Claudio Monteverdi* 11’26 Mutazioni per Chitarra sul “Lamento d’Arianna”

Dance scenes (Small suite for guitar)*65. I Ritmico 1’2166. II Moderato 0’5667. III Vivace 1’0868. IV Moderato 2’1769. V Allegro 1’05

Dodici Studi per chitarra*24. I Calmo 1’5625. II Moderato 2’1026. III Legato e flessibile 1’1527. IV Lento ma non troppo 3’3628. V Moderato 2’5029. VI Allegro 2’5830. VII Lirico, moderato 3’2931. VIII Lento ed espressivo 2’0632. IX Liberamente,

improvvisando 1’3133. X Allegro 3’2434. XI Allegro moderato 3’0435. XII Allegretto 2’13

Sei canzoni ebraiche – à Cristiano Porqueddu36. Hinne’ ma tov 3’1137. Vihda’h Le’Olam Teshev 3’0838. Kesheharrabbí Shar 2’5239. Ro’e’ Vero’a’ 2’2440. Yafutzu Oyevecha 4’0541. Hevenu shalom 2’24

Trois Reflets* – à Cristiano Porqueddu42. I Andante misterioso 6’4543. II Cantabile 3’2544. III Allegretto ritmico 4’24

45. Comme des Variations* 11’55 I – Moderato II – Stesso tempo III – Meno IV – Mosso VI – Corale VII – Andante VIII – Tempo I IX – Stesso tempo X – Delicato XI – Scherzando XII – Andantino Finale (Accelerando)

Liriche d’autunno* – à Cristiano Porqueddu70. I Sognante 5’2271. II Mesto 3’0672. III Arioso 2’4473. IV Grazioso 3’1474. V Elegiaco 4’5075. VI Ritmico 3’27

Quattro poemetti – Omaggio ad Alda Merini* – à Cristiano Porqueddu76. I Meditativo 5’4377. II Lento, contemplativo 4’0778. III Andante largo 4’1379. IV Allegretto 3’10

Tre SuggestioniMeditazioni sonore sui dipinti di Lia Laterza80. I – Dopo la Furia 7’2481. II – Ombre Allungate 5’3082. III – Quiete Notturna 8’10

Tre Pezzi per chitarra* – à Cristiano Porqueddu83. Campane di Natale 3’3884. I Fiori del Tempo – Studio

da concerto 5’4185. Une Petite Nuage Rose 3’46

Cristiano Porqueddu guitar

* World premiere recordings

Quattro Sonate(Dodici studi raccolti in quattro sonate)The Dodici studi raccolti in quattro sonate were published by Sinfonica in 2012, in the series of contemporary studies curated by Bruno Giuffredi. They were also included in the “Novecento Guitar Studies” CD set also recorded by Porqueddu for Brilliant Classics.

The genesis of the different sonatas dates back to different periods. Sonata I, which consists of the first three studies in the collection, was written in the mid-1990s, with the aim of providing students with an idea of the complexity of form, but without involving excessive technical difficulties. The entire composition can be played with first position fingering, though it is also possible to adopt more sophisticated solutions that produce a richer sound fabric and promote greater interpretative span. The sonata is a conceptual homage to the music of the Mexican composer Manuel Maria Ponce and of the French composer Maurice Ravel. The mood of Sonata II, corresponding to studies four to six, is reminiscent of the style of the early 20th century American composers, with particular reference to jazz and blues. There are also echoes of composers such as Leonard Bernstein, who adopted such genres within a classical framework, as Ravel and Debussy had done earlier.

The ideas and creativity of 20th century Italian composers such as Vito Frazzi (1888-1975) and Roberto Lupi (1908-1971) permeate the melodic and harmonic fabric of Sonata III, where the expressive solutions are more advanced, though they do not call for particularly complex technical skill. The most demanding part of this sonata is the second movement, where formal structure, the frequent use of counterpoint and the sheer compositional breadth do require complete mastery of the instrument and solid technique.

The genesis of Sonata IV dates back to the early years of the millennium. The composition, which involves an idiom that I have adopted in various compositions, is stylistically close to the Dodici Studi.

Having listened to Porqueddu’s uniquely masterful interpretation, I have come to the conclusion that it is completely reductive to classify the works in terms of their technical difficulty. Indeed, it is evident that to handle the increasingly complex interrelation of dynamics, essence and structure in interpretation, these studies, taken individually or as Sonatas, call for particular skill in conjuring up sound in the imagination.

Di Tante Lagrime – Homage to Francisco TàrregaDuring the 2008 edition of the International Guitar Congress in Alessandria, the Italian guitarist Giulio Tampalini asked me if I would be prepared to write a piece for him for solo guitar. I accepted, and given the imminent centenary of the death of the Spanish

ForewordThis collection of guitar music was conceived for a wide range of different listeners and reveals a number of non-musical experiences that have contributed to its creation. It thus includes different sorts of works, from pieces that were specifically written for educational purposes to others deliberately composed for concert performance. Within this latter sphere there are further differences arising from the underlying aim or inspiration: from pictorial works to poetry or the music of other composers, or indeed the desire to express feelings and sensations experienced visiting places and regions.

Also significant is the period in which the various pieces were written, since in time my musical perceptions and awareness have also changed, along with my voice as a composer.

The track list for the whole set includes only one work that was composed before the year 2000: the Ten Progressive Studies dating back to the 1990s. All the others are products of the new century and, with the exception of the Dodici studi and Di Tante Lagrime, were written over the past twenty years, many of them for Cristiano Porqueddu. Franco Cavallone, 19 May 2020

Tracks 1-23Ten Progressive StudiesWritten during the 1990s, I envisaged these studies for the guitar as a series of teaching notes for the students attending the guitar courses I taught in those years for various small associations. The individual pieces are designed to suit the students’ technical level, and though the styles vary, the same underlying musical discourse prevails throughout. Even in the less demanding pieces that open the collection, the main focus is instrumental technique and exploration of different approaches to composition. The student thus also discovers non-conventional sound spheres that can be helpful in establishing directions in interpretation.

Each study embraces two different perspectives: a purely technical and mechanical viewpoint, and emotional perception. Together they contribute to wide-ranging inquiry and involvement in sound and expression. Short though they are, these pieces allow the student to discover the possible sound range of the instrument and to delve deep into the wonderful sound sphere of works written in recent decades, including the monumental compositions of the great masters of the present age. These studies were published in May 2020 by the Canadian publishing house Les Productions d’OZ in a edition revised by Cristiano Porqueddu, who also provided the fingering.

melodies and arrange them for solo guitar. In 2016 I handed the outcome over to various guitarists, and within 24 hours Porqueddu got in touch asking me to write two more pages so that he could premiere them at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

So that is how this small collection of songs based on melodies belonging to European Jewish communities and to the Israeli folk tradition.

The melodies themselves have different functional origins: some relate to satire, some to religion and others to the official folk tradition. They are modal in idiom, with more than a hint of counterpoint, yet within the overall harmonic framework of tradition.

Trois RefletsIn 2011 I came into contact with the Italian guitarist Cristiano Porqueddu through the Internet. I was actually already familiar with his name on account of his activity as a concert performer and his wonderful recordings of the Sessanta Studi di Virtuosità e di Trascendenza by Angelo Gilardino (Brilliant Classics, 2009). Porqueddu let me know that he had been studying my compositions (the Quattro Sonate and Di Tante Lagrime), and also expressed his appreciation of the way I composed. I was captivated by the Sardinian musician’s enthusiasm, which shines through all his work, and bearing his interpretative skill as a performer in mind I wrote the triptych Trois Reflets.

The three pieces explore the possibilities intrinsic to expanded fifth chords and how they could be combined with the systems used earlier for other compositions. The works are greatly influenced by the genius of Eisenach, which is why their development involves a deeply probing analysis of polyphonic interaction.

The outcome is three intense, meditative frescoes that require enormous lucidity on the part of the performer – achieved to the highest degree in this recording – and great attention on the part of audience.

While the mood of the first is austere and objective in character, the second and the third pursue greater mediation between immediate communication and the underlying musical discourse.

Comme des variations – 12 micro-studi in forma di variazioneBorn of a commission by Bruno Giuffredi, this series of studies was written to enrich the student’s repertoire with a collection of compositions devoted to the development of variations.

This intent, which also underlies the conception and composition of other works, involves widening the teaching repertoire not only with pieces of varying levels of difficulty, but also with works that allow the student to mature musically by means of the range of different forms and structures.

The thematic sources is exposed in the first study, and then varied in the following

composer Francisco Tàrrega (1852-1909) and Tampalini’s own interest in the work of the composer, I wrote this composition based on the famous Lagrima prelude.

Published by Curci-Bérben, the piece involves perusal of the two themes of the prelude taken separately, in a sort of imaginary peregrination among the various musical “lacrime”, from those written by Monteverdi for the opera Arianna to John Dowland’s “tears” for the lute, and beyond to the Spanish school, the influence of romanticism and the modernism of more recent times. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco docet!

Tracks 24-45Dodici StudiThese Studies for guitar came into being thanks to collaboration with the Sinfonica publishing house and in particular with its artistic director, the Italian guitarist Bruno Giuffredi. It was he who came up with the idea for creating a series of recordings based on guitar studies by various composers, whom he invited to write new works aimed at teaching, divided into three different levels of difficulty.

The twelve pieces belong to the difficult category, but in a way that is completely different from those of the Ten Progressive Studies. Alongside the illustration of certain time-honoured techniques within the framework of a non-tonal and non-conventional idiom, there are also relatively complex performance mechanisms that require considerable skill on the part of the guitarist. The structure of each study is permeated with the use of sound series developed with procedures typical of twelve-tone composition and other devices based on the relationship between the intervals.

As with many collections of 21st century studies and in general with pieces aimed at teaching, the difficulty initially lies in the actual handling of the notes, and then also in the search for the right sound and interpretation. The unity of intent and meticulous interpretation of the underlying discourse in this performance makes Porqueddu’s rendering a truly benchmark recording.

Sei canzone ebraicheMy musical background has always felt the sway of folk music, to the extent that one of my first publications for guitar contained four songs from the folk tradition of the Pinerolo valley near Turin (Edizioni Bèrben, 1990).

The origin of these Canzoni is connected with an event dedicated to Emanuele Luzzati (1921-2007) in Turin. I had been asked to develop some melodies belonging to the Jewish tradition for two guitars. Gilberto Bosco helped me pick them out, and this selection gave rise to three pieces for two guitars and a Fantasia ebraica for the same instrumental ensemble. Around ten years went by, and I decided to go back to these

Anime gementi – Sonatina per chitarraIn 2017 I was fortunate to attend a private concert given by Cristiano Porqueddu in the atelier of the painter Gastone Cecconello. For me it was an opportunity for experiencing the sensational skills of the Sardinian musician in a live performance, which left me thrilled and astounded. The program included a few pieces of my own, and it was on this occasion that Porqueddu agreed to work on the pieces I had in mind for this album.

I met up with Porqueddu again in “his” Sardinia the following summer, and it was there that I began writing the Sonatina for the guitar that I dedicated to him. Anime Gementi is a personal and emotional perception of certain Sardinian rituals dating back to the dawn of time and still very much part of a number of local festivities. On such occasions the participants sometimes wear carved wooden masks representing anthropomorphic animals and other imaginary creatures. From the compositional point of view, the piece embodies faint echoes of my earlier interest in Alban Berg’s Sonata No.1.

The composition comprises the usual three movements, with the first in a fairly free version of sonata form that borrows the variation sequence from Berg’s Sonata. Following the incipit based on the harmony of seconds and a simple thematic motif, the piece progresses into the development using variants, mutations and contrasts ending in a sort of recapitulation. The second and third movements derive from the same harmonic and thematic material, in this case regenerated and expanded by means of complex procedures so as to give rise to new, autonomous elements. The unfailing rhythm relates directly to the sensations I experienced in Sardinia. The work is thus a homage to the island, to its atmospheres and colours, and of course to one of its outstanding artists.

The Sonatina “Anime gementi” is an integral part of the international arts project Sardinia Moving Arts, directed by Porqueddu himself, organized by Musicare (www.associazionemusicare.com) and financed by the European Community and the Sardinian Autonomous Region.

Varii lamenti – Mutazioni per Chitarra sul Lamento di Arianna – Omaggio a Claudio MonteverdiIn 2016, following the world premiere of one of my works, the Italian guitarist Andrea Monarda invited me to write a composition for him. By January 2017 Varii lamenti was ready for performance. The idea for the composition is twofold: I have always been enchanted by this touching melody; to add to which 2017 saw the 450-year celebrations of Claudio Monteverdi’s birth (1567-1643).

The melody of the famous aria gives rise to a series of mutations that are not variations in the true sense of the word, though the concept is certainly related. At the end of the piece, there is a sort of evocation in the form of the original melody in a liberating transcription for solo guitar.

eleven. This process develops within a timeframe that embraces both a contemporary idiom and distant hints of bygone epochs, from the lightness of Claude Debussy or the gaiety of the Viennese tradition to the world of Chopin. In relation to his or her own experience, the listener will doubtless discover other echoes of the past.

Tracks 46-6912 Short PreludesThese brief musical sketches are a devoted homage to the supreme Claude Debussy, whose centenary was celebrated in 2018.

In keeping with the grand tradition, each prelude is a small sound universe that, together with those that follow, is part of a homogeneous, organic development, as Porqueddu’s masterly performance in this recording clearly reveals.

The discourse and poetics of the composition reflect interests that I have been pursuing for several years. That said, they are open to change and thus also to the discovery of new paths. Short works such as these are an excellent parterre for expressive endeavour and experiments with sound control.

Sonatina “Omaggio a Benjamin Britten”2013 marked the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth (1913-1976). Britten’s linear compositional style and his distinctly British take on symbolism have always made a huge impact on me. At Cristiano Porqueddu’s suggestion I wrote the Sonatina “Omaggio a Benjamin Britten”, adopting the classic three movements that mirror the structure and form of the sonata, albeit with a degree of poetic licence. The first movement is preceded by a brief section that cites one of Britten’s themes, in this case destined to become an essential source for the whole work. This is followed by a lively, rhythmic allegretto that becomes part of the musical discourse, in its turn superseded by the adagio and allegretto of the lyrical finale. The entire composition is interspersed with references to thematic fragments and occasional harmonic elements from Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and the String quartet No.1.

However, the piece is also a guitarist’s tribute to a composer who paid tribute to a 17th century colleague, and in so doing wrote a masterpiece for the guitar: the famous Nocturnal Op.70.

Despite its title, the Sonatina is certainly no diminutive work, since it lasts a good twenty minutes and demands huge technical skill and interpretative gifts on the part of the guitarist. Renowned worldwide for his mastery, Cristiano Porqueddu’s performance of the composition is visionary in its combination of musical acumen and technical brilliance. The published edition is the fruit of his meticulous revision and suggestions for fingering.

for the guitar. Both sections were dedicated to verse by the Italian poet Alda Merini (1931-2009). This stimulated me to write the first of the four poemetti, inspired by three lines that began with “Tu non sai...”, “Io ho udito, Signore, la tua voce...” and lastly “Ma, ecco che il sole ci rende guerrieri...”. Although the first was played during the course of the finals by the guitarist Alessandro di Gregorio, I had actually sent the entire composition to Cristiano Porqueddu for his suggestions for revision, and also to ask him if I could dedicate it to him. He replied with his usual enthusiasm and positive energy, and immediately got to work on it. They are four extremely expressive pieces that embody a consequential development akin to that of the suite or the sonatas, with moments of stasis and others that vibrate with strength and light.

The performance for this recording perfectly reflects the global structure of the entire composition.

Tre Suggestioni – Meditazioni sonore sui dipinti di Lia LaterzaLia Laterza is a painter who plays a central role in the social cultural and artistic life of the Valle di Susa, especially in the town of Moncenisio, where my mother’s family came from and where I spend much of my summer vacation.

I’ve known Lia for many years, having spent many an evening at her house when I was young, along with other artists. Back in those days the assembled company welcomed me and my guitar, and since then I’ve worked closely with Lia on the organization of cultural activities in the surrounding area. In 2010 she invited me to take part in an exhibition of her works by playing at the opening. I suggested that I could add to the program one or two of my own compositions, pieces that expressed my feelings and thoughts on viewing some of the paintings on show. The outcome was the first two pieces in the Tre Suggestioni: Dopo la furia and Ombre allungate.

The two paintings in question did more than inspire the two compositions for guitar that went by the same name. They actually influenced the composition for solo piano that the American pianist and composer Curt Cacioppo commissioned me to write (Ombre allungate) and that of the Concerto per archi – After Fury that in 2010 won the Sofia Soloist Prize. The third piece is the fruit of my meditations on the engraving Quiete notturna, so it embodies all the traits of a nocturne, and only later was added to the other two pieces. Dedicated to the Italian guitarist Alberto Mesirca, these works share the same compositional style, although the final nocturne is somewhat more tonal.

Tre pezzi per ChitarraThe pieces in this series are Campane di Natale, I Fiori del Tempo – Studio da Concerto and Un Petit Nuage Rose. They are three brief but highly evocative items, the equivalent of watercolour in painting.

The composition is very demanding for the player, who not only has to master the technical difficulties of the various mutations that are part of the score, but also address the question of precisely how to interpret music that cannot easily be codified or categorized.

Dance scenes “Small suite for guitar”Towards the end of 2015 Riccardo Piacentini, chairman of Rive Gauche in Turin, commissioned me to write a piece for a concert that was part of the important Musiche in Mostra series: a number of concerts of contemporary music held in museums or the rooms of historic buildings in Turin and other towns in Piedmont and Liguria.

Dedicated to the guitarist Sergio Sorrentino, the piece was premiered at the Gianduja Museum in Grugliasco in what was the ninth of the twelve concerts in the series devoted to “Dodici corde, tre voci – Omaggio alle pitture di danza” (Twelve strings, three voices – Homage to painting of dance). The word danza suggested the idea of a suite that embodied a sort of ancestral, tribal evocation of dance, seen within the framework of the scenes portraying it. Dance Scenes consists of five brief tableaux that illustrate my reflections on the meaning of dance, both at the theatre with its boxes and étoiles, and in the noble halls and residences of late 19th and early 20th century patrician society.

Tracks 70-85Liriche d’autunnoDuring the summer of 2017 my second son was working in London, so I decided to take the opportunity to spend a few days in the British capital. In Regent’s Park, surrounded by the scents of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, I began writing these six pieces for guitar that only later took on the name that features in this track list. The six lyrics are all based on my system of composition, which owes much to two great Italian composers of the 1900s: Vito Frazzi (1888-1975) and Roberto Lupi (1908-1971) – plus a certain focus on harmonic series and other considerations that I’ve developed over the years during my unceasing studies of composition. I immediately thought of Cristiano Porqueddu, who was working on the edition of the Sonatina “Omaggio a Benjamin Britten”. So it came naturally to dedicate this new composition for solo guitar to him.

It’s music that requires what I like to call a meditative ear on the part of the listener, who needs to succumb in spirit to the harmonic lyricism of the piece.

Quattro poemetti “Omaggio ad Alda Merini”In 2014 the Lutheran Evangelical Community in Naples announced a competition for composers that involved two sections: one for choral works, and the other for pieces

Campane di Natale is structurally linear, consisting of a section in chords followed by one in which the harmonic constructs are variously handled as regards technique and melody. The evocation of Christmas ends with the return of the first section.

I Fiori del Tempo is a study that focuses on how and to what extent a six-string instrument can use arpeggio technique to create a double melodic structure: one that is easily identified, and the other that is more interior, almost hidden. The more lyrical central section is somewhat meditative in mood. The piece ends with the return of the first section.

Un petit nuage rose is a gentle homage to my father. With respect to the two previous pieces, it is more complex in structure, consisting of a single slow movement with evident hints of late romanticism and impressionism.

Final NoteThe search for beauty is a complex matter involving subjective and objective elements that are not always easy to reconcile, though they ultimately shape the creative process.

I am aware of that fact that I have not fully accomplished the process (is there anyone who can claim he or she has?), yet when I listen to my works played as supremely as they are in these recordings, I can honestly say that from time to time a ray of light is effectively visible.

It is hard to find the words to thank Cristian Porqueddu for his masterly handling of a huge job: with his highly distinctive interpretation, his meticulous exploration of timbre, his attention to rhythm and they way this defines the whole piece, he has managed to create a kaleidoscope of sound and sense that is truly rewarding for the listener.

I am convinced that this album is a benchmark recording for my music for the guitar.© Franco CavalloneTranslation by Kate Singleton

Recording: 16 December 2018 – 13 June 2020, Chiesa della Solitudine, Nuoro (NU), ItalyGuitar: Giuseppe GuagliardoCover: Il Bosco / The Wood, by Gastone Cecconello (b.1942)p & © 2021 Brilliant Classics