Futurism without tears

Francesco Balilla Pratella & Marco Anzoletti - Music for Viola & Piano

In February 1909, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published his Manifesto of Futurism. Futurist ideas flourished in poetry and the visual arts, but they were also taken up early by the Italian composer Francesco Balilla Pratella. Pratella wrote his own Manifesto of Futurist Musicians in 1910, with more polemic work to follow.

Martinelli had said that "Art, in fact, can be nothing but violence, cruelty, and injustice", but there's little evidence of those futurist traits in Pratella's Viola Sonata, written in 1917. This work seems to toe the standard modernist line; if anything, it's romantic and often pretty. A lovely work, in fact, but hardly violent or cruel. Other works by Pratella seem to veer more towards the savage side, but it seems that the true music of futurism would have to wait for Luigi Russolo and his acoustic noise generators, which he called intonarumori.

This album, performed by violist Federica Cardinali & pianist Lisa Redorici, also includes the 7 Compositions for Viola & Piano by the Italian composer Marco Anzoletti (1867-1929). These undated character pieces are short passages with varying moods: march-like, passionate, pastoral, mock heroic, antique, rustic and satiric. The final piece, the "Serenata Maligna", is a wonderful scary trifle that features the viola pizzicato; it fits the upcoming season well. I listened to it again & again, and thought it would be perfect in Wes Anderson's next movie. It makes for a wonderful encore for this slightly puzzling but hugely entertaining recital.

The cover features a painting by the Italian abstract painter Osvaldo Licini.

This album will be released on November 6, 2026.

 

Baroque music from Leicester

Robert Valentine: 12 Sonatas for Recorder and Basso Continuo

When you think of music from Leicester, does the post-punk group The Apollinaires come to mind?

Or perhaps you immediately think Baroque: Robert Valentine was born around 1674 in Leicester, moved to Rome, & died in 1747. He was one of the most prolific composers of music for the recorder in his time (his contemporaries include Henry Purcell in England, and the Italians Antonio Caldara, Francesco Durante & Alessandro Scarlatti). Valentine's twelve sonatas for recorder & basso continuo, op. 11, were published in Rome in the first half of the 18th century, as part of Antonio Parensi's Sinfonie dei varij autori. This new album from First Hand Records (FHR) includes all twelve of the op. 11 sonatas, on two discs.

The first page of one of Valentine's F major sonatas for recorder & continuo, from Sinfonie dei varij autori.

The ensemble on this album - Heidi Fardell on recorder, Lynda Sayce on lute & guitar, Poppy Walshaw on cello & Robin Bigwood on harpsichord - are able advocates for this music. Valentine does his part to keep things interesting, with different dance rhythms and contrasting musical textures. The musicians attack these pieces with energy and style. Some of the most interesting passages come from the continuo group, a tribute both to Valentine's composition and the ensemble work of the four musicians. Certainly listening to two discs worth of recorder sonatas at once might be fatiguing, but remember, musical ergonomics is important. Take a break, and enjoy this infectious music in moderation.

The album cover photo is by Emma Spellman. By the way, this album will be released Real Soon Now, on October 16, 2026.