Carmelo Andriani & Vincenzo Maltempo - Esposito: Music for Violin and Piano (2015)

Tracklist

01. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 32: I. Moderato
02. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 32: II. Lento
03. Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 32: III. Allegro vivace
04. Irish Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Op. 51
05. Five Irish Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 56: No. 3 "Silent, O Moyle"
06. Five Irish Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 56: No. 5 "When Through Life"
07. Two Irish Airs for Violin and Piano, Op. 57: No. 2 "The Silver Tip" (Irish Reel)
08. Five Irish Melodies for Violin and Piano, Op. 56: No. 2 "The Coulin"
09. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 46: I. Allegro moderato
10. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 46: II. Andantino
11. Violin Sonata No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 46: III. Allegro con fuoco
12. Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 67: I. Affettuosamente
13. Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 67: II. Allegretto moderato
14. Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 67: III. Andante cantabile
15. Violin Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 67: IV. Allegretto grazioso
16. Irish Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Piano, Op. 54


It might be unusual to find classical music that manages to imbibe the spirit of Irish folk music; it must be even more unusual for that ‘Irish’ music to actually be by an Italian. But Michele Esposito was an unusual composer. Born in southern Italy, financial circumstances led him to settle abroad, and, after a brief spell in Paris, he arrived in Dublin in 1882, making Ireland his homeland for the next 46 years. His time there coincided with the Irish cultural revival that was taking place during the latter half of the 19th century, leading Esposito to find a place at the heart of several prominent cultural institutions.

One of these institutions was the Feis Ceoil, the Irish competitive music festival, at which Esposito won first prize for his Irish Rhapsody No.2 Op.54 in 1902. Folk music also inspired his Irish symphonies, for which he is well known, as well as the simple yet highly effective airs and melodies featured on this release. The three violin sonatas all stem from very different periods of the composer’s life; the first contains elements of Schumannesque piano writing in the third movement, as well as clear echoes of Saint-Saëns, whereas the second – more technically advanced – is more akin to the music of Brahms. Esposito’s last violin sonata, composed in 1913, is tonally much more experimental, and structured in a highly unconventional manner, with the Scherzo movement a slow and solemn minuet, concluding in an unusual sonata form.

Violinist Carmelo Andriani may hail from Italy, but he also has a connection with Esposito’s adopted land, having recorded violin sonatas written specially for him by Irish composer Tom Cullivan, a release that was critically praised for Andriani’s ‘Gaelic spirit’. He has also performed at the Philharmonie with the Berliner Symphoniker, and has recently recorded a personal selection of violin music for the Stradivarius label. Pianist Vincenzo Maltempo has performed around the world, and his debut at the Miami Piano Festival in 2014 was highly acclaimed, leading to an invitation for the young performer to play there again. This is the duo’s first release for Brilliant Classics.

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