Slow Waltz No. 1 (orchestra)

9,99 19,99  VAT included

Giovanni Battista Mazza ricevette i manoscritti originali dei due valzer (per pianoforte) direttamente dalle mani del figlio di Aldo Finzi, con l’incarico di realizzarne una trascrizione per orchestra, qui pubblicata con i titoli Valzer lento n° 1 e Valzer lento n° 2.

Notes for purchase

You can request a licence to use the DISCARDED PARTS by sending a request to edizioni@preludio.it.

Aldo Finzi was an Italian composer born in Milan in 1897 and died in 1945. At the age of 24, his works were already being published by Ricordi, whereas previously he had Fantuzzi and Sonzogno as publishers. With the racial laws, he was prevented from having his music performed. Nevertheless, his production is quite conspicuous, even though he was content to work anonymously or under others' names for a living: his is the rhythmic translation of Franck's Beatitudes into Italian, a translation that runs under another name. Buried under a false name, his wife had to wait until after the war and the repeal of the racial laws before she was able to draw up a document allowing her to return the composer's mortal remains to the family chapel in Milan's Monumental Cemetery. Recently, thanks to the work of his son and grandson, many of his works have been brought back to light, allowing today's public to rediscover his artistic vein and profound inspiration. Giovanni Battista Mazza received the original manuscripts of the two waltzes (for piano) directly from the hands of Aldo Finzi's son, with the commission to make a transcription for orchestra to be performed at a concert conducted by Maestro Mazza himself in Milan at the Istituto dei Ciechi. The orchestration of the first waltz, the one in D major, was conceived for the same ensemble as Respighi's suite Gli uccelli, scheduled for that same concert. The ensemble is that of a 'two-man' orchestra, but with only one oboe. The style of the transcription does not stray very far from that of the period, whose harp sonority evokes a characteristic atmosphere. However, Mazza has taken a certain liberty in interpreting the original in the treatment of the phrases, which are sometimes dismembered into incisors entrusted to different instruments and reconstructed in a discursive context with a dialogic character. In the last bars one can recognise a quotation, which Mazza wanted to include, from Musetta's famous waltz in the second act of Bohème. The simplicity of these compositions manages to convey the somewhat nostalgic charm of a decisive era in our history and in Italian music. Maestro Mazza dedicated these pages to Bruno and Aldo Finzi.

I gladly accepted the task that was entrusted to me, a work of modest proportions that, however, brought me back to a world that I felt was close - the world of our grandparents! - in which a window was open, even in Italy, on symphonic music, here too often suffocated by the impressiveness of our opera production.
The orchestration of the first waltz, the one in D major, was conceived for the same ensemble as Respighi's "Gli uccelli" suite, which was performed in the same concert I gave at the "historic" Istituto dei Ciechi in Via Vivaio in Milan. The instrumentation is that of a "two-man" orchestra, but with only one oboe. The style of the transcription is not far removed from that of the period, of which the sound of the harp evokes a characteristic atmosphere. However, I have taken a certain liberty in interpreting the original in the treatment of the phrases, which are sometimes dismembered into incises entrusted to different instruments and reconstructed in a discursive context with a dialogic character. In the last bars you can recognise a quotation, which I wanted to include, of Musetta's famous waltz in the second act of Bohème.

The second waltz, in G major, is transcribed for string orchestra. The "colour" is therefore very different from the previous one. The performance of both pieces, as in the case of the concert in which they were first performed, highlights their different character; otherwise this short composition lends itself to being included in a programme for strings alone. The writing is, in relation to the brevity of the piece, rich and varied in the colours and distribution of the parts. I found an example of reference for this small work in some youthful waltzes by Ottorino Respighi - some still unpublished - which I had the pleasure of bringing to light and performing a few years ago. The simplicity of these compositions manages to convey the slightly nostalgic charm of a decisive era in our history and in Italian music. I have dedicated these pages to Bruno and Aldo Finzi.
Giovanni Battista Mazza

Additional information

Year

2007

Authors/Interpreters/Arrangers

Aldo Finzi, Giovanni Battista Mazza

Orchestration

Orchestra

Support

Paper score, PDF score

Typology

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