Sunday 11 January 2015

Sandro Fuga

I've always had a soft spot for music of the post-romantic, early Impressionist era, with composers such as Elgar, Chausson, Fauré, Ysaÿe, Lekeu, Debussy, Janacek, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, Strauss, Enescu, Magnard, et al. Music that dates from the years before the iconoclasts took charge of fashionable critical opinion. Thus it is somewhat unusual to find me listening to three sonatas for violin and piano composed, respectively, in 1938, 1972 and 1989. However, the three sonatas by the unknown Sandro Fuga are well worth playing, and well worth repeated listening. The sound is of around 1910; but what is wrong with that? In his day, Johann Sebastian Bach was frequently criticised for his old-fashioned music, looking back to the days of polyphony in the 17th century, rather than forward to the melody-based music of the 18th. such as that by Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, et al. Fuga's three sonatas are enjoyable. The playing by Mauro Tortorelli, Alessandro Milani and Sergio Lamberto (violins) with Giacomo Fuga (presumably a relative of the composer) at the piano sounds fine, and the Naxos recording and price pleases, as usual. A CD for all lovers of post-romantic, Impressionist music, and not to be listened to once and then filed away. Will any brave violinist dare to record one or more of the sonatas (the second, for example) or to play them in public and risk the wrath of the critical avant-garde?

Lunch today was my famous Thai soup, with squid and crevettes. This evening will be Thai soup with mussels. A good day musically, and gastronomically. And excellent wine (2008 from a Bachelet vineyard around 10 kilometres from Beaune, that I have often visited, and from which I have bought many bottles, over the years).

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