Italia is the tenth release by American composer, pianist and academic Curt Cacioppo. It features music written either in Italy or in response to Italian inspiration, comprising three chamber works. As abstract music it’s difficult for a feeling of Italy to be conveyed, although they are all competent, intriguing pieces, skirting the line between nostalgic tonality and exploratory dissonance, approachable but not populist – a difficult thing to achieve.
‘Impressions of Venice’, commissioned and performed by the Quartetto di Venezia, moves through rapid, almost violent passages of zigzagging strings through beatific exhalations of sustained calm. The spirit of Vivaldi is subtly conveyed through the metallic sheen Cacioppo at times gets from his players, and the pizzicato opening of the fourth movement recalls Bartok’s fourth quartet. Less evocative is ‘On the Road to the Seven Bridges’ for solo piano, yet as a study of ironic distance it’s an enjoyably restrained ride, vaguely reminiscent of Poulenc or Satie. The final ‘Red Dove of Libya’ is dominated by winding flute lines and sparse recitation, coloured by impressionist dabs from harp, contrabass and percussion. Again, Cacioppo turns to fin-de-siecle France for inspiration, and wrenches intriguing new shapes from these forces. Italia offers nothing groundbreaking, but is a convincing study in chamber arrangement.
Joshua Meggitt
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