Dallapiccola and Petrassi are often considered the “Heavenly Twins” of 20th century music in Italy. While it is true that they were born in the same year (1904), and together provided the driving force for new Italian music, each composer has his own unmistakable musical and poetic identity.

This CD, performed by Ensemble Dissonanzen, Naples’ premier new music ensemble, alternates compositions by Petrassi and Dallapiccola, making for a study of contrasts and comparisons.

Petrassi’s Dialogo angelico, is an ethereal watercolor heralding the sound of his future music. It is imbued with a free flowing Stravinsky-like neomodality, serenely rhythmical and diatonic.

Quaderno musicale di Annalibera features eleven perfectly crafted miniatures, representing a minuscule amalgam of the Art of Fugue and the Musical Offering, with canons in the style of Bach and the Flemish school.

Tartiniana seconda, from Dallapiccola’s famous “Tartiniana” series, is an exquisite, virtuoso homage to Tartini.

Petrassi’s Seconda serenata-Trio is written for the unusual ensemble of harp, guitar and mandolin; Sestina d’autunno “Veni creator Igor”, is also for guitar and mandolin, together with three stringed instruments and percussion. Taken together, they sum up the composer’s special empathy with the abrupt, evanescent sounds of plucked strings. The metallic tinkling of harps, harpsichords, guitars and mandolins are almost a Petrassian trademark.

Ensemble Dissonanzen is based in Napoli, Italy. The core members are Tommaso Rossi (flute), Ciro Longobardi (piano), Claudio Lugo (saxophone & conductor) and Marco Cappelli (guitar). Trained in classical music, they have had experience in a variety of genres (contemporary music, early music, avantgarde jazz, improvisation, and electronic music).

Goffredo Petrassi: Sestina d’autunno “Veni Creator Igor” (1981-82), for mandolin, guitar, viola, cello, double-bass and percussion
Luigi Dallapiccola: Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera (1952), for piano
Goffredo Petrassi: Seconda Serenata Trio (1962), for mandolin, guitar and harp
Luigi Dallapiccola: Tartiniana Seconda (1956), Divertimento for violin and piano
Goffredo Petrassi: Dialogo Angelico (1948), for 2 flutes
Luigi Dallapiccola: Parole di S. Paolo (1964), for mezzo-soprano, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, viola, cello, harp, percussion, piano/celesta

Ensemble Dissonanzen
Claudio Lugo, conductor
Cristina Zavalloni, mezzo-soprano