Francesco Cilea (1866-1950)
Theme and Variations (1932)
Suite for violin and piano (1937)
Serenata (c.1890), elaborated by Giuseppe Currao
Alessandro Longo (1864-1945)
Suite for violin and piano, Op.33 (1899)
Suite for clarinet and piano, Op.62 (1910)
Gianfrancesco Federico (violin): Giuseppe Currao (clarinet): Ugo Federico (piano)
rec. March 2025, Studio Federico, Cosenza
Tactus TC 860005 [60]

This disc sheds unusual light on Italian chamber music from composers best known for other things. For Francesco Cilea ‘other things’ means opera, of course, but for Alessandro Longo this means the rather more specialised arena of the wholescale revision of Scarlatti’s 555 keyboard sonatas. Though his Longo numbers have now been replaced by the more modern Ralph Kirkpatrick numbers, this was still a major piece of editorial and musicological work.

One would expect some bel canto richness from Cilea in the two violin works presented here, the Theme and Variations and the Suite. The former is brief at only six minutes but manages to move from sonorous expression, through crisp, athletic writing, thence back to richly upholstered and – yes – sonorous and generous warmth. Originally written for violin and orchestra, it was later transcribed for violin and piano and is played by Gianfrancesco Federico and Ugo Federico with style. There’s a competing version on Brilliant, played by Ilaria Cusano and Domenico Codispoti, but it’s part of a 5-CD box of assorted works – songs, chamber music, concertante suites and piano music – so it might not be so competitive. The Brilliant duo is the more precise and neater team but are less intense and characterful.

The Suite is also in the Brilliant box but this time in the 1946 orchestration of the violin-piano original and it’s the original version we hear on Tactus’ disc. It’s a four-movement work, composed in 1937, that shows Cilea’s gift for melodic freshness, charm and wit. The opening is rich, and this is followed by a flighty Minuetto, then comes a raptly expressive slow movement followed by a vivacious finale – sparkling, fresh, athletic and humorous. Giuseppe Currao has affectionately elaborated one of Cilea’s evergreens, the Serenata, for clarinet (played by himself), violin and piano.

Longo contributes two Suites. The first is for violin and piano, was written in 1899 and is a lovingly crafted, lyrically effusive, three-movement work, though the central movement offers ripe contrapuntal development and some concertante-like flourishes. The finale is fast though there’s some rather sullen introspective contrast before a quick dash to the end. The final work is the Suite for clarinet and piano, again in three movements. The first is fresh, lyrical and elegant whilst the central movement encodes an Intermezzo which covers sparkling fast sections as well as introspective panels. There’s a disconcerting acoustical change in the finale but once past that, one can enjoy the droll writing.

This is an unusual disc that sheds light on two composers who aren’t known for their chamber music. The performances are attractive and the production adequate.

Jonathan Woolf      

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