Everybody knows that Amilcare Ponchielli composed the Dance of the Hours (aka “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh”), and almost everyone knows that it’s the ballet music from his opera La Gioconda. But who knew that this allegedly one-work composer also wrote some absolutely delicious, unpretentious, and brilliantly scored chamber music? I certainly didn’t!
Il Convegno depicts two clarinets as an amorous pair, shyly courting each other, then gradually unfolding irresistible melodies and virtuosic passagework in solo turns and in gorgeous duo accord. The piano part mostly consists of oom-pah chording, with a few glittery flourishes for transition purposes. However, a fuller keyboard component supports the solo oboist’s brilliant pyrotechnics and rapturous lyrical outpourings throughout the Capriccio’s 10-minute length (oboe soloist Ingo Goritzki makes light work of the composer’s formidable demands).
Paolo e Virginia deftly exploits the violin and clarinet registral and tonal capabilities. In the Quartetto, Ponchielli’s splendid ear for instrumental color conjures fuller, more varied textural combinations and colors than you might expect from the oboe, flute, and E-flat clarinet.
All of these works must be as much fun to play as they are to hear, and the Ensemble Villa Musica members give that impression. That also goes for Andreas Tarkmann’s inventive and witty Dance of the Hours arrangement, which I’m sure Ponchielli would have joyously approved. This is the perfect disc to lift you out of a blue mood. [9/9/2010]
