DAVID FONTANESI (b.1969) : Four Concertos – Elegiac (Violin) • Arcadian (Cello) • Academic (Flute) • Frugal (Piano). Vincenzo Bolognese, violin, Francesco Stefanelli, cello, Ginevra Petrucci, flute, Michelangelo Carbonara, piano, I Virtuosi Italiani, cond Alberto Martini.

Description: Four utterly delightful concerti from a composer who needs to make absolutely no apology for writing in a thoroughly tonal idiom that draws unapologetically on the conventions of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. All four are in the traditional 3-movement form, with the movements structured according to classical norms, but the works are strongly differentiated from each other, aside from the obvious diversity of solo instruments. The "Elegiac" Concerto, for violin, sets the tone with a gently expansive orchestral introduction, after which the violin enters with melodic assertiveness and charm. One might think of Mendelssohn or Bruch, and then a few bars later, Vivaldi. Genial and easy-going as it is , the movement possesses a genteel dramaturgy, equal to the expression passionate emotions without being hysterically melodramatic. The development concludes with a gently flowing fugato, which precedes the violin's final, exuberant flourishes. The second movement begins with a stately brass chorale with something of the Renaissance about it, though when the violin enters tunefully we are back in Baroque-Classical territory. The two join forces in stately dialogue as the movement progresses. The title of the concerto is reflected in this movement's gently reflective, wistful sense of nostalgia. The lively finale surprises by being in 7/8 time, which at the outset produces an unexpected syncopated feel. The movement is otherwise the customary baroque allegro, full of exuberant virtuosic flights for the soloist. The cadenza is the expected bravura display, though again the composer has a surprise for the listener before the final flourish; an apparently anachronistic moment of pizzicato chords, banished by a return to fast arco figuration as soon as you’ve had time to wonder what is going on. The "Arcadian" cello concerto is dramatic and lushly Romantic. The first movement begins with a dramatic swirling flourish, which leads to an eloquent first subject of agitated plaint, in rich but restless counterpoint with soloists within the orchestra. The second subject, rustic and bucolic, played in pizzicato and with an accompaniment prominently featuring wood blocks, is a surprise. The movement continues in turbulent dialogue between these opposing moods, and ends with a horn call ushering in a decisive conclusion from the world of Romantic legend. As in the violin concerto, it is the slow movement that relates the music most obviously to the concerto's title. Contrapuntally generous, the music is full of melodic pastoral serenity and harmonic warmth. After swelling to what seems to be a satisfyingly resolute conclusion, the sudden, unheralded intrusion of an unresolved woodwind chord leads to the finale, which opens with fluid, busy figuration from the cello. Garrulous and enthusiastic, this energetic allegro finale is imbued with a spirit of bonhomie, the open-heartedly lyrical second theme of the lively rondo again introducing the momentarily startling wood-blocks, just one of several felicitous, subtle touches of percussion that enliven the texture. The closing section is increasingly excited and exuberantly virtuosic, the final cadences satisfyingly emphatic. The "Academic" concerto for flute has its origins earlier in music history, the long orchestral introduction showing the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. When the flute enters the movement assumes a lively neoclassical tone, with dialogue between soloist and orchestra, and passages of polyphonic exchange with orchestral soloists. Toward the end of the movement, the Renaissance returns in a striking passage of elegant polyphony for brass and winds; the ensuing tutti leads to the solo cadenza, and a grand final coda. The central Adagio espressivo is serene and pastoral, featuring the mellow Baroque Flauto d'amore. After a gentle polyphonic introduction for winds, the movement explores the tenderly lyrical solo theme and its accompaniment in various free permutations, ending with a variation of the opening statement of the theme. The finale is elegantly playful, with the flute's steady stream of narration becoming progressively more virtuosic and excitable as the movement progresses. Two imposing, "academic" - but very brief- episodes of orchestral fugato separate the varied statements and elaborations of the flute's opening phrase. The curiously titled "Frugal" concerto (not a misprint for "fugal"!) is the most compact of these works (which is probably what the composer means by the title, because it certainly doesn’t imply any lack of generosity of spirit or musical substance). It is both the most "modern" - meaning neoclassical in a 20th century sense, rather than emulating earlier models - and the most chromatic in musical language of these concerti. The first movement is animated and flowing, with a carefree tunefulness, sometimes suggesting film music in a style loosely based on Rachmaninov. Subtle little touches of percussion also place the piece in a contemporary context. Eloquent melodic lines for the orchestral soloists characterise the emotionally fulsome middle movement, again with hints of Rachmaninov. The music builds an unexpectedly passionate climax which ends the movement. The lively, scampering finale may have the listener thinking of Poulenc one minute, Prokofiev the next, and Milhaud when the music briefly turns into a Latin- and jazz-tinged ballet with Fontanesi's trademark woodblocks and light percussion spicing up the texture. The soloist has a playful cadenza, after which the recapitulation of the movement's opening theme leads to an exuberant race between the soloist and orchestra to a bravura finish.