Luciano Berio (1925-2003)

[Roy Bland]

he was a much talked about character. many despised him

https://www.operaclick.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1173

for Franco Mannino it had been forced upon to the academicians of santa cecilia

[Mandryka]

The English Wikipedia for Coro says something which caught my eye as being interesting if true

As customary in Berio's musical output, Coro has its place in a sequence of works whose titles refer to archetypal modes of musical expression. He started this sequence with his Sinfonia (1968–1969), followed by his outlook on the whole genre of music theatre in Opera (1960–1970), on the life and work of a solo singer in Recital I (for Cathy) (1972) and on the relationship between soloists and ensembles in his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1972–1973).[3] With Coro, Berio also further explored the kind of folk music he had already used in his Folk Songs (1964) and Questo vuol dire che (1969).[4

I'm not totally clear what's being said in fact. I think the idea is that we have the following exploratory sequences

Sinfonia, Opera 1, Recital 1 and 2 piano concerto

Folk Songs, Questo vuol dire che, Coro

[T. D.]

The English Wikipedia for Coro says something which caught my eye as being interesting if true

As customary in Berio's musical output, Coro has its place in a sequence of works whose titles refer to archetypal modes of musical expression. He started this sequence with his Sinfonia (1968–1969), followed by his outlook on the whole genre of music theatre in Opera (1960–1970), on the life and work of a solo singer in Recital I (for Cathy) (1972) and on the relationship between soloists and ensembles in his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1972–1973).[3] With Coro, Berio also further explored the kind of folk music he had already used in his Folk Songs (1964) and Questo vuol dire che (1969).[4

I'm not totally clear what's being said in fact. I think the idea is that we have the following exploratory sequences

Sinfonia, Opera 1, Recital 1 and 2 piano concerto

Folk Songs, Questo vuol dire che, Coro

That Wikipedia passage comes off as pretentious and lacking in informational content.

First: Sinfonia, Opera, Recital 1 and Concerto were not composed consecutively. [As can be observed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Luciano_Berio .] So I question the "sequence of works" phrase; it could just as well be worded "Berio titled a bunch of compositions after modes of musical expression"! 

The second assertion is less shaky, but I also doubt it means anything more than "Berio employed folk music in three major works". [If Questo vuol dire che qualifies as a major work; it seems lesser-known.] However, I'm not familiar enough with the works to say whether the use of folk material follows a perceptible methodological progression.

[Mandryka]

In fact I hadn't even heard of Questo vuol dire che until yesterday. I've got myself a recording (I think there's only one available) It's rather wonderful - folk music singing and tape. Very '68. Nono and Beckett vibes, sous les pavés la plage.

Here

https://ubu.com/media/sound/electronic/19-02_Luciano-Berio_Questo-Vuol-Dire-Che_1968-1969.mp3

Taken from here

https://ubu.com/sound/electronic.html

More info here

https://www.openculture.com/2016/03/the-history-of-electronic-music-in-476-tracks-1937-2001.html

[T. D.]

Thanks.
Big fan of Berio's vocal work, always happy to hear more.
And for the link as well! Long ago I had UbuWeb bookmarked, but it fell by the wayside when I upgraded computers.

[Mandryka]

Is this right?

There are two commercial recordings of the double piano concerto -- Canino/Ballista and Grau/Schumacher

and

There is just one commercial recording of the second piano concerto, Echoing Curves, with Lucchesini.

[Mandryka]

https://louthcontemporarymusicsociety.bandcamp.com/track/naturale

I'm enjoying the above performance of Naturale -- a new piece of music for me.

I found this comment by Berio about it

The act of transcription, such as translation, may involve three different conditions: an identification with the composer's original musical text, the assumption of the text as a pretext for experimentation and, ultimately, the oppression of the text, its deconstruction and philological abuse. I think you reach a solution when these three conditions co-exist. It is only then, I believe, that the transcript becomes an act really creative and constructive. Naturale, written between 1985 and 1986 is a piece designed for dance, and is in part derived from a more complex work of 1984 (Voices), where is placed, precisely, the problem of the convergence of those three conditions. The original texts of Natural Sicilian songs are commented upon by the voice of Celano, perhaps the last true Sicilian storyteller, which I had the privilege and good fortune to meet (and record) in Palermo in the summer of 1968. I am deeply grateful to Aldo Bennici for providing me with the original documents: work songs, love, lullabies. The voice of Celano is inserted in the path of the purple instrumental, singing instead of abbagnate (songs of hawkers) of rare intensity. With Naturale, as with Voices, I hope to help encourage a deeper interest for the Sicilian folk music, which with the Sardinian, is certainly the most rich, complex and glow of our Mediterranean culture.


https://www.yellowbarn.org/page/luciano-berio-naturale-viola-percussion-and-tape

[Mandryka]

Really impressive performance of the piano sonata from Benjamin Kobler - I don't know if it isn't the recording which I've enjoyed the most in fact.