Bruno Canino and Serena Canino

Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples, in 1685, and worked in the Iberian Peninsula for many years, firstly in Lisbon, and then later in Seville and Madrid, where he died in 1757. His almost 600 sonatas, all of which are single movements, display incredible varieties of formal patterns, audacious harmonies and amazing rhythms.

Muzio Clementi was born in Rome, in 1752, but worked predominantly abroad, in England, so that he came to be considered as an English composer. His numerous sonatas, composed in the classical style, are filled with innovative virtuoso features and, above all, a tremendous dynamic force.

Nino Rota was born in Milan and moved to Bari. An exceptional musician, he was best known for his compositions of soundtracks for famous films, but he also composed much more besides. This Intermezzo for violin and piano also reveals elements of two of his themes for lesser-known films.

My own Barcarola and Scherzo, which is a recent composition, repeats the title of a piece by Alfredo Casella, a composer to whom all the Italian music of the twentieth century owes a great deal. Casella’s piece is sweet and pleasant, being composed in the French style, whereas my piece may seem somewhat inharmonious and complicated rhythmically, being designed to represent the movement of the Barcarola in the water and the playful dialogue of the Scherzo.

The Sonatina, which Casella composed in 1916, is vibrant, highly dissonant, and almost atonal.

Two brief pieces complete the programme, and they both clearly diverge from the radicalism of the avant-garde. Castiglioni’s suite Come io passo l’estate reflects situations that one might find in Mahler, whereas In si, by Sollima, a brilliant cellist and composer, refers to Mediterranean, Albanian and North African elements. – Bruno Canino

Photo © Salvatore Scialò