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Interview, Alessandro Marangoni on Vittorio Rieti's piano concertos

Vittorio Rieti Piano Concertos album coverAlessandro Marangoni's recording of piano concertos by the mid-twentieth-century Italian-American composer Vittorio Rieti grabbed my attention by pure chance when I spotted it on the Presto website, but on giving it a listen I was instantly intrigued - who was this composer with such a gift for easygoing melody and toe-tapping tunes? Why had I never heard of him, and why were his concertos only now receiving their first recordings? (In fact my mother ended up receiving a copy of the album for Christmas - yes, that's how good it is...!)

Alessandro may well already be known to fans of Italian piano music - in collaboration with Naxos he's made a great number of recordings, including Rossini's complete piano music (much, much more than you might realise), which he chatted about with my colleague Katherine some years ago, plus extensive Clementi and Castelnuovo-Tedesco, as well as a striking and very effective arrangement of Mozart's Requiem for soloists, choir and piano four hands together with Marco Vincenzi. 

I was delighted to be able to talk to Alessandro about his album and this fascinating composer, to find out more about the life and music of Vittorio Rieti. 

Critics in the 1920s were flagging Vittorio Rieti up as ‘one to watch’, yet today he’s almost forgotten - indeed the three piano concertos on this album are world-premiere recordings. What happened?

Vittorio Rieti used to say: "I am performed rarely, but all over the world!”. And that’s exactly how it was. Rieti was widely performed during his lifetime, especially in the United States. He was highly esteemed by Stravinsky and other great musicians and performers, but over time, performances of his music gradually decreased. I believe this is likely because Rieti was tied to aesthetics that had fallen out of fashion —specifically, a neoclassicism that was no longer in vogue. He did not embrace the more modern avant-garde movements, and this is one of the reasons why his music was performed less.

Unlike some of his peers, Rieti lacked influential champions to promote his work posthumously. Figures like Stravinsky had devoted disciples and scholars who ensured their music remained in the public consciousness. My recording of the three Piano Concertos is a world premiere, and this surprises me greatly because these Concertos are wonderful! They feature fascinating, virtuosic pianism. It’s music that I think any pianist would enjoy playing (and I think also Orchestras…).

How did you first come across his music, and what led you to make this recording?

I became acquainted with Rieti thanks to my friend Bruno Cagli, who was at the time the Superintendent of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and a friend of the Rieti family. Bruno suggested I look into the scores of Rieti’s concertos, telling me I was the most suitable pianist to bring them back to light. So I did, and it was a great surprise and discovery for me. I knew very little about Vittorio Rieti’s music (I had only played his Sonatina for flute and piano). I remember that within just a few days, I eagerly delved into these three concertos at the piano, marveling at their originality, charm, and technical brilliance. They seemed to possess a unique balance between neoclassical clarity and Italian lyricism, blending virtuosic demands with an innate sense of elegance. These were works that deserved to be heard, not only for their intrinsic musical value but also for their historical significance as part of Vittorio Rieti’s legacy.

With this in mind, I reached out to Naxos, my label that is renowned for its commitment to rediscovering and promoting overlooked repertoire. I proposed recording the Concertos alongside the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, a group with which I’ve shared a deep musical partnership over the years and to my friend great conductor Giuseppe Grazioli: he was enthusiastic! The orchestra’s versatility and shared enthusiasm for reviving forgotten masterpieces made them the ideal collaborators for this project. The process of bringing these concertos to life was profoundly rewarding. It was as though I was uncovering hidden gems, each movement revealing unexpected treasures: sparkling rhythms, intricate dialogues between soloist and orchestra, and passages of striking beauty. Performing and recording them felt like giving voice to a composer whose music had been unjustly neglected, offering a new opportunity for audiences and pianists alike to discover his work.

Many listeners won’t recognise Rieti’s name, nor know what to expect from his works for piano and orchestra. What elements and ideas would you suggest a new listener listen out for on this album?

These concertos are more than just virtuosic showpieces, they are heartfelt, imaginative creations that resonate with vitality and wit, embodying a distinctive voice that bridges technical brilliance with profound musical expression. And rhythm!! Each movement reveals layers of character and nuance, from moments of sparkling energy and rhythmic playfulness to passages of tender lyricism and introspective depth. The writing reflects Rieti’s deep understanding of the piano as both a solo instrument and a dynamic partner to the orchestra, creating a rich dialogue where neither overshadows the other.

Rieti’s craftsmanship is evident in the seamless blend of neoclassical clarity and his uniquely Italian sensibility, a style that draws listeners in with its elegance while surprising them with unexpected harmonic shifts and inventive textures. These concertos invite not just technical mastery but also emotional investment, challenging the performer to convey their multifaceted spirit. They are a testament to Rieti’s ability to infuse even the most intricate passages with warmth, humor, and a touch of poetry, ensuring they resonate with performers and audiences alike. And above all: joy and light! 

 

The Piano Concerto No. 2 began life as a Harpsichord Concerto for Wanda Landowska. Do you detect much trace of that in the work as it is performed here, or was it extensively revised for the modern piano?

In 1930, Rieti composed the Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra for Wanda Landowska, with whom he had collaborated productively on several occasions. Although the piece was commissioned by the Pleyel factory to promote harpsichord sales and expand the instrument’s repertoire, it was neither published nor performed, despite its undeniable quality. Later, Rieti decided to remove the work from his catalog, skillfully repurposing its rich musical material—making the necessary adaptations and revisions—into his Piano Concerto No. 2 in 1937. This revised concerto was first performed in Venice in September of the same year, with Marcelle Meyer delivering a brilliant interpretation. The work captivated Stravinsky, who was so impressed that he planned to include it in the program of one of his concerts in Turin. Unfortunately, the performance was canceled due to the racial hatred and discriminatory policies of the era. I believe the concerto was thoroughly revised and reworked. While we might find some harpsichord-like remnants in the rhythmic elements, contrapuntal writing, and the rapid alternation between the solo instrument and the orchestra, the overall writing and aesthetic are unmistakably pianistic.

When I listen to them I feel like there’s a hint of Poulenc and even Gershwin in these concertos - who were the main influences on Rieti’s development as a composer?

Rieti’s music is not only shaped by his own distinctive voice but also by a rich array of influences from other composers, which he absorbed with great openness while maintaining his artistic freedom. His works reflect traces of Stravinsky’s neoclassical style, particularly in his rhythmic precision, clarity of form, and instrumental textures. The influence of French composers, notably Debussy and Ravel, is also apparent in Rieti’s use of lush orchestral color and delicate harmonic language. Rieti’s music shares several affinities with Poulenc’s, particularly in their neoclassical approach, clarity of form, and balance between lightness and depth. Both composers had a keen sense of orchestration and a distinctive use of timbre, creating rich, vibrant textures. While Rieti’s melodic language is more directly tied to Italian tradition, his ability to blend playful and expressive elements echoes Poulenc’s blend of humor and lyricism. Rieti was not an imitator of Gershwin, his music contains elements that clearly reflect the influence of American music, particularly in terms of rhythm and orchestration. This demonstrates his ability to absorb a wide range of styles and incorporate them into his own musical language, enhancing its richness and diversity. Rieti’s openness to various musical traditions, including American jazz and popular music, allowed him to blend elements of modernity with his classical roots, creating a distinctive sound that resonates with both European sophistication and the vibrancy of American music.

Moreover, Rieti was keenly attuned to the innovations of the early 20th century, absorbing aspects of modernism while retaining a sense of accessibility in his music. He was influenced by the French avant-garde, particularly in his experimentation with form and orchestration, yet never fully embraced the extreme dissonance or abstraction of some of his contemporaries. His music reflects a fusion of these various strands: the intellectual rigor of Stravinsky, the coloristic experimentation of French composers, and the emotional expressiveness of his Italian heritage.

However, Rieti’s brilliance lies in how he synthesized these influences into something uniquely his own, creating a musical language that is both sophisticated and approachable, blending tradition with modernity in a way that is deeply personal. His style is an amalgamation of multiple influences, but it is always filtered through his own voice, allowing him to remain true to his creative independence while being enriched by the diverse musical landscape of his time.

Perhaps the most striking musical moment on the album is the extreme similarity between the pianos’ first entry in the Double Concerto and the iconic menacing theme of John Williams’s Jaws soundtrack. Do you think it’s possible that Williams had heard this concerto and was subconsciously influenced by it?

It’s hard to determine if there was a direct influence, but I do believe that John Williams was likely familiar with Vittorio Rieti’s music, particularly due to his relationship with Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who was Williams' teacher, as well as his exposure to the broader American musical scene of that era. There certainly seems to be a pleasant similarity in both timbre and thematic qualities between their works.

Is there more Rieti out there waiting to be reintroduced to audiences?

Rieti composed a vast amount of music, and perhaps only his ballet scores for Diaghilev are more well-known. There is a great deal of chamber music by this composer that deserves to be performed, as well as his piano works. He often wrote short pieces, grouped into collections like Briciole or the Suite for Solo Piano. He wrote 11 String Quartets!! Certainly, all of his music deserves to be explored and performed, not only because it is highly appreciated by audiences but also because it is a pleasure to play.

Alessandro Marangoni (piano), Orazio Sciortino Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Giuseppe Grazioli

Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC/ALAC/WAV, Hi-Res FLAC/ALAC/WAV

Italian 20th Century Music offers a long-needed overview of Italian music in the modern era and provides us a glimpse of forgotten musical treasures that have for too long waited re-discovery.

From Mascagni and Tosti to Dallapiccola and Petrassi, from Maderna, Berio and Nono to Morricone, Einaudi and Fedele, this is an intriguing account of a tumultuous century and an important contribution to the history of music in the 20th century.

Available Format: Book