Tessarini, C.: Introducioni A 4, Op. 11, Books 2-4

Aura Musicale

Released on 09/11/2007 by Hungaroton
Main artists: Aura Musicale Balázs Máté
Genre: Chamber Music

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Italian composer Carlo Tessarini certainly is a cipher, despite witnessing the publication of some 40 editions of his music between 1721 and 1766, half of which he issued himself. The earliest reference to Tessarini is not found until 1720, when he is mentioned as a violinist in the orchestra of St. Mark's in Venice, and the last in December 1766, when he advertises a concert appearance in Arnheim; in between, Tessarini seems to have been around practically everywhere in Europe. Among the most interesting of Tessarini's early prints is a set of 12 Introducioni á 4, published in Paris in 1748 for an orchestra consisting of two violin parts, viola, cello, and continuo. Although Tessarini was influenced by, and perhaps studied with, Antonio Vivaldi, these Introducioni do not take the form of the by-then banned practice in Italy of composing short, secular introductions to masses of the kind in which Vivaldi specialized. Rather, these Introducioni are multi-movement sinfonias of the kind typically used to raise the curtain on an opera, though if so, we do not know of any instance where Tessarini himself composed opera -- perhaps these were intended for use in other people's operas. Nevertheless, these pieces pack a lot of dramatic wallop and are recorded for the first time by Hungarian period instrument orchestra Aura Musicale under cellist Balázs Máté in Hungaraton's Carlo Tessarini: Introducioni á 4, Op. XI (Libri 2-4). Musically, Tessarini is an interesting figure, creating a bridge between aggressive syncopation of Vivaldi and more genteel galant gestures just coming into popularity in 1748. Of his generation of composers, perhaps only Francesco Durante and Georg Philipp Telemann felt as at ease in the new idiom as did Tessarini, who takes to it like a fish to water. Nevertheless, his work is not truly classical in that it only seldom maintains a cantilena line, even in slow movements -- these are somewhat jumpy and overall Tessarini's music is highly caffeinated. Many listeners will not mind this, particularly in the case of the stormy G minor Introduzione No. 4 that prefigures some aspects of the Stürm und Drang style to emerge two decades later. The performances by Aura Musicale are spirited and even inspired, though at times a little rough around the edges. There is some element of revisionism in that a few winds are added here in two of the pieces "as was customary at the time." As these are string sinfonias, how customary is it likely to have been? One never hears Vivaldi's string sinfonias with added wind parts; the most typical plan of action, if any of this kind taken at all, is to reintroduce missing percussion parts for such pieces. It doesn't sound bad, and somewhat helps vary the sound of the overall disc, although Tessarini's music is naturally so lively and extroverted one wonders if it needed the added instruments to punch it up. Also, while Hungaroton's sound is good, the harpsichord could use more volume; it has a solo in the E major Introducioni No. 11 that is almost inaudible.
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Tessarini, C.: Introducioni A 4, Op. 11, Books 2-4

Aura Musicale

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