A record arrived from the far away Lisbon sent by a friend
in Portugal. The CD made a journey of 2700 kms and I felt myself a bit like
Seafarer Sinbad at an exotic dinner where a never-seen speciality from Moluccas
is served.
The title is Modo Italiano and here comes the twist: most
composers are from Naples, and, on the other hand, there used to be a few
musical centres in Italy - Venice, Ferrara and Firenze - which received musicians
from each part of Europe so the Italian mode is a much more complex thing than
we would expect.
Looking at the map we can see that Naples is in the south to
such extent that the wind coming from Africa can be tasted in the air. This,
arm-in-arm with constant sunshine and brightness fills the eyes and the soul
with some weird blaze. Let us remember the 26 year-old genius when the unpacked
solar cells in our room start to produce energy when his Stabat Mater begins.
Another factor is political-geographical: the Kingdom of
Naples was a savoury bite for the Spanish, Italian and even the Hapsburg
dynasties; the Spanish dominated most as Naples on the Italian peninsula was
part of Spain.
All the above had such big influence on the musical life
that a distinct division—Neapolitan School—was established and Neapolitan Music
intervened in the further musical movements for centuries.
The clavichord is confined to being a simple continuo
instrument; it ensures fine pace in operas or in orchestras. Why? Because its
tone is basically distinct from other instruments, it hangs out thus it is well
heard, the timpanist can listen to it and, being a string instrument, it gives
the same volume no matter how hard it is hammered; there is no piano or forte.
Instead of lamentation let us look at the west where the
music academies draw on ten times more in retrospect; the old keyboardists have
a nice cult there. Strange it may seem but mention must be made of America, the
USA having no culture which, despite the flood of commercial junk and trash
gives home to such clavichord makers that we are out of breath by the delight.
The workshops in Europe and the Netherlands were the biggest
sharks; jewel-like masterpieces were produced; however, today everyone plays on
copies because the far-gone era means that the instruments cannot be tuned. The
CD plays an Italian Giusti copy, the original was made in 1681.
Javier Nuňez studied at the Music Academy in Madrid and
played a lot of Bach pieces I think; Goldberg variations are likely his
favourite. However, he did not halt here but went on toward old things
bypassing a big node in French baroque where Scarlatti/Couperin is the guiding
mark. Nevertheless, the aim is Naples and Italy in the 1600s for the time
being.
The period featured an extraordinary music life. Trabaci,
Mayone, Valente, Macque and many others served as main choir masters,
travelling music ambassadors or simple music teachers depending on their walk
of life and fortune. On their way to the baker’s they might see Caravaggio...
It was much honourable to perform any piece in front of the viceroy of Naples
all over Europe. Naples meant an important visit or learning of a few years
from a great master for each composer.
This portrait looks at us in the booklet. It is not a face
of dozens. We create our picture of him browsing in the Internet and listening
to the CD. It is a young new generation. prefers playing the composers of the
past. There is something special in his playing compared to the older generation.
Although he is not so young as ‘Z’s, the difference is a reality. Not better
and not worse – another way only.
He lacks etiquette posing, takes a seat,
plays, because he loves playing. Indeed. He knows that these composers are
well-known by those competent in music in Spain, the inner taste centre of the
audience is papered with plenty of excellent records. However, he could reap
much more with a Scarlatti record but
he does not care. I do believe it. He calls a few friends because he feels that
some pieces might not have been played in solo, they should help with
chordophones and rhythm.
What next?
He must announce “arranged” where the
others joined but we feel that it is closer to reality than the rice powder
game according to strict notes where the audience sits in tense fleeing to
boredom and snobbism not understanding what the hell they should listen to in a
monotonous and repetitive rhythm in which there is nothing to make out, there
is no complicated Renaissance part leading or the delight of the fugue.
However, the latter turns up in other numbers, e.g., Ascanio Mayone very much liked the counter-points but the
emphasis is elsewhere because it was the age when the variation forms of dance,
basso ostinato and free improvisation ask for entry to the music flow, it was
the famous Nuovo Musiche.
Let us have a look.
As a start a very nice Antonio Valente fantasy; only accord
lines first, then the idea starts winding along more and more complex arcs
following an image of harmony. Then a Romanesca variation line, here Nuňez
presents what he really thinks of it all; there are gaps in the tissue due to
the differences of repetitions where we have a deep insight toward the infinity
and all this freely rolling by flashing an entire freedom. This kind of
boundlessness fully disappears from the later keyboard music; today’s ordinary
audience brought up with sonatas and fugues doubts the existence of this inner
vertical horizon; they find delight in something else, I am afraid that the
Compass is not written for them because it must be felt - otherwise words only put out
their tongue to us…
Some kind of central point can be presumed on a lot of CDs
around which the whole album can be built up in our imagination and track 7 is
outstanding on many CDs for some inexplicable numerological reason. It is no
different here either, what is more, the two coincides.
Trabaci: Consonance Stravagante
Listening to it two things are heavily perceivable at the
same time: on the one hand amazement, the chromatic dissonance alarms our sense
of harmony in the segment of a second, on the other hand, the flood of delight.
The more times we listen to it, the deeper it penetrates. Most Early Music
performers noticed this weirdness and some of them commemorated the creep on
their back with records 20 years ago.
It is played on a solo clavichord nicely, straight and
explicitly, taking on the singularity of the scale by members and black keys.
Bear in mind that there were distinct tractates about the application of
dissonance; I hope you remember the music of Gaspar Sanz or later Froberger.
As an ardent fan of Frescobaldi I have double joy: the
genial performance of a Capriccio, here Nuňez is like entering a secret patio
and a flood of odour is rolling onto us and then we can hear who Frescobaldi
learnt from, who his master was, where he drew the raw material from for the
incomparable, weird harmony, yes, it is Luzzascho Luzzaschi.
And a lot of Trabaci, Valente, Salvatore, de Macque and
Storace.
Mayone received one track, one single toccata which we could
listen to twilight.
The final piece is the summary of free music: an extravagant
Colascione plot, the doctrinarian audience was taken aback by it in 1993, it is
the Kapsberger record of Lislevand ; it was said to be jazz, world music and
crossover, stupidity flooded; it is 1st class Early Music - Nuňez continues the
fine tradition… I am afraid it will not be part of the program at several
Academies even next year… perhaps later …. when we landed on the Moon…
Fahmi Alqhai, who is playing on a strange, long-necked
colascione rather than a gamba, is the artistic leader of the project, he and
Nuňez considered everything even why this record is needed: they made the same
decision as Luis de Narvaez 500 years ago when he scribed between two vihuela
tablets with scratchy letters, that is, who does not know this music should
marvel at it, and who do know it should marvel even more.
The outcome?
I think it is fine.
What do you think?
Translated by Kenesei Andrea
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Thank you for the images.
