Mario Pilati (1903-1938)
Sonate pour violon et piano en fa mineur
Prélude, Aria et Tarantelle sur un ancien thème populaire napolitain
Piezzi pour violon et piano
"Caccia" pour violon et piano
"Tammurriata", extrait de "Echoes of Naples"
Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en la mineur
"Inquiétude", étude mélodique pour violoncelle et piano
Bagatelle, série n° 1
Bagatelle, série n° 2

Francesco Manara, violon
Luca Signorini, violoncelle
Dario Candela, piano

Actif durant l'entre-deux-guerres, le napolitain Mario Pilati (1903-1938) aurait pu devenir un des principaux compositeurs italiens du XXe siècle (à côté de Ottorino Respighi, Alfredo Casella ou G.F. Malipiero) s'il n'était pas mort prématurément. Typique du courant néoclassique alors en vogue, sa musique mêle formes anciennes et harmonies modernes, sans pour autant céder aux sirènes de l'atonalisme. Pilati est aussi un représentant du nationalisme musical que cela soit par l'utilisation d'airs folkloriques de sa région natale ou de la poésie populaire d'Italie du Sud. Nonobstant sa courte carrière, Pilati s'est illustré dans tous les genres, et, qui plus est, avec succès. Le double CD publié par Brilliant Classics est l'occasion de démontrer la qualité de sa musique de chambre avec des œuvres pour violon et piano, violoncelle et piano ou encore piano seul. Composées entre 1925 et 1935, ces pièces mettent en lumière toute l'élégance de son écriture musicale. La qualité de l'interprétation, par Francesco Manara (violon), Luca Signorini (violoncelle) et Dario Candela (piano), rend honneur à la musique de Pilati, le tout soutenu par une prise de son irréprochable. (Charles Romano)

Who was Mario Pilati? A significant if shortlived (1903-38) figure in Italian instrumental music during the 1920s and 1930s: a gifted conductor, fluent pianist, practical teacher, essayist and perspicacious observer of the musical life of his times. His own music is celebrated here, and anyone who takes pleasure in Romantic chamber music, the neoclassical idiom of Stravinsky, or the vigorous yet always lyric idiom of Respighi and Casella, will find much to enjoy here. In fact Pilati’s music for piano and for orchestra has received some attention on record; much less so his chamber works, making this new 2CD set an important addition to Brilliant Classics’ unrivalled catalogue of Italian music from 1850-1950. The troubled expression of the threemovement, half-hour sonatas for violin and cello (1928) reflects the temper of their times, whereas the Preludio, Aria & Tarantella on Old Neapolitan Folk Tunes for violin and piano apparently turn away from intense battles between tension and reconciliation with the kind of light touch and folk-inspired humour that may be found in the best early works by Casella. There are several miniatures from the 1920s which attest to Pilati’s elegance and sophistication early in his career, as well as to the excellence of his training in his native Naples (though he moved to Milan at 22 and made his career there). Despite its name, Inquiétude is a flowing study for piano, reminiscent of Debussy. The set is completed by his two volumes of Bagatelles for solo piano, which frequently draw on Neapolitan themes: 11 relaxed and convivial pieces in all, of an easy charm that would not disgrace Pilati’s friend Nino Rota, and written in an accessible style which may reflect their dedication to the composer’s three daughters. The album is comprehensively documented with valuable notes on both the composer and his work by the pianist Dario Candela: a student of Aldo Ciccolini, who described his pupil as ‘an excellent pianist of great class’. He is joined here by Francesco Manara – a former leader of the orchestra at La Scala, Milan – and the cellist Luca Signorini who, like Pilati, pursues a diverse career as a performing musician, conductor and writer.