About this Release
“Niccolò Castiglioni was one of the most distinctive and original composers of the second half of the twentieth century who stood apart from his fellow-countrymen. Simplicity, conciseness, an inexhaustible melodic vein, skillful rhythmic variety, a subtle balance between playfulness, lyricism and mystical ecstasy, as well as an extraordinary inventiveness, are recurring characteristics of his unique musical language. A considerable body of pieces written between 1952 and 1954 documents the beginnings of his journey as a composer. From a form of Ravelian neo-classicism to dodecaphony, his musical style may be described as ‘the synthesis of seemingly disparate modes of writing… sprung from a fundamentally musical rather than theoretical instinct’. Castiglioni’s works also include purely tonal pieces of exquisite craftmanship.” — Aldo Orvieto
CASTIGLIONI, NICCOLÒ (1932–1996)
Complete Piano Works • 1
- Aldo Orvieto, piano
Niccolò Castiglioni was one of the most singular figures on the Italian music scene of the latter half of the 20th century. Including world première recordings, Volume 1 of this complete edition reveals the exceptional quality of Castiglioni’s early piano works, the cantabile solemnity found in his exploration of twelve-tone techniques, and the quest for simplicity in later pieces that include the Seconda sonatina discovered among the composer’s papers after his death. The acclaimed pianist Aldo Orvieto has recorded and performed extensively throughout his career and is a specialist in Italian 20th-century repertoire.
Tracklist
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Piano Sonatina in G Major (1952) (00:10:00 )
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1
I. Allegretto (00:03:27)
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2
II. Andantino (00:03:50)
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3
III. Minuetto - Trio I-II (00:02:17)
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Piccola suite in G (1952) (00:10:11 )
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4
I. Marcetta (00:01:00)
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5
II. Nenia: Andante (00:02:12)
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6
III. Caccia: Allegro (00:01:18)
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7
IV. Larghetto (00:01:40)
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8
V. Allegrino (00:01:05)
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9
VI. Walzer: Molto moderato (00:01:39)
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10
VII. Melodia: Moderato, a tempo sempre (00:01:12)
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4 Canti (1954) (00:06:00 )
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11
No. 1. Ostinato (00:01:07)
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12
No. 2. Aria: Molto calmo (00:01:18)
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13
No. 3. Intermezzo: Larghetto (00:01:13)
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14
No. 4. Corale: Sostenuto, quasi grave (00:01:56)
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Momento musicale (1954) (00:03:00 )
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15
I. Prestissimo - (00:00:22)
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16
II. Il più presto possibile (00:00:29)
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17
III. Il più presto possibile (00:00:25)
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18
IV. Il più presto possibile (00:00:35)
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19
V. Concitato, molto liberamente (00:00:41)
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Come io passo l'estate (1983) (00:10:00 )
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20
I. Arrivo a Tires (00:00:51)
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21
II. La Fossa del lupo (00:01:34)
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22
III. Andiamo al rifugio Bergamo (00:00:55)
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23
IV. La valle del Ciamin (00:00:51)
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24
V. Il buco dell'orso (00:01:17)
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25
VI. La fontanella di Ganna (00:00:37)
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26
VII. Ghiaccio sul Rosengarten (00:01:11)
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27
VIII. Antonio Ballista dorme in casa dei Carabinieri (00:01:55)
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28
IX. Il fantasma del castello di Presule (for upright piano) (00:00:27)
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29
X. Canzone per il mio compleanno (00:01:09)
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Piano Sonatina (1984) (1984) (00:07:00 )
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30
I. Andantino mosso assai dolcino (00:03:47)
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31
II. Laendler (00:01:27)
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32
III. Fughetta (00:01:09)
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33
Piano Sonatina (1987) (1987) (00:03:29)
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34
Das Reh im Wald (1988) (00:02:10)
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In principio era la danza (1989) (00:02:00 )
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35
I. Valzer A (00:00:14)
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36
II. Canzone del bruco (00:00:20)
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37
III. Valzer B (00:00:14)
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38
IV. Canzone della farfalla (00:00:06)
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39
V. Valzer C (00:00:33)
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Preludio, Corale e Fuga (1994) (00:04:00 )
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40
Preludio: Liquido (00:01:16)
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41
Corale (00:00:57)
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42
Fuga (00:02:17)
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The Artist(s)
Aldo Orvieto studied at the Venice Conservatory. He owes much of his musical development to Aldo Ciccolini, with whom he recorded Busoni’s Fantasia contrappuntistica, released by Naxos (8.574086). Orvieto has recorded programmes and concerts for the main European radio broadcasters, including the BBC (UK); RAI (Italy); Radio France; WDR, SDR and SR (Germany); RTBF (Belgium) RSI (Switzerland – Italian), DRS (Switzerland – German) and Swedish radio. He has more than 90 albums dedicated to 20th-century composers in his discography. Orvieto has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras and ensembles, and has given many world première performances, in particular of works by Maderna, Togni, Clementi, Sciarrino, De Pablo, Claudio Ambrosini, Stefano Gervasoni, Luca Francesconi, Azio Corghi and Fabio Nieder. The Composer(s)
Niccolò Castiglioni was one of the most singular figures on the Italian music scene of the latter half of the 20th century. Including world première recordings, Volume 1 of this complete edition reveals the exceptional quality of Castiglioni’s early piano works, the cantabile solemnity found in his exploration of twelve-tone techniques, and the quest for simplicity in later pieces that include the Seconda sonatina discovered among the composer’s papers after his death. The acclaimed pianist Aldo Orvieto has recorded and performed extensively throughout his career and is a specialist in Italian 20th-century repertoire. Reviews
“Aldo Orvieto, who not only plays all these pieces but also produced the recording, definitely has the measure of Castiglioni’s unique universe and does this music proud.” – Classical Music Daily
Also Available
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
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