Claudio Curti Gialdino - Piano Music [CD]

This release presents a selection of his works for piano. From the reminiscent Alghe (or 'seaweed'), which features a delicate melody over shimmering Debussy- like harmonies, to Le stagioni ('The Seasons') and I naviganti ('The Sailors'), Castelnuovo-Tedesco was a master at creating evocative images of provincial life through his music. His longer, more virtuosic works take on grander themes; Alt Wien is described as a 'Viennese rhapsody', and Piedigrotta takes us through a whirlwind of Neapolitan music, starting with a dark and pulsating tarantella, after which the music sinks gently into an undulating rhythm to evoke the image of a moonlit Neapolitan evening. Le danze del Re David reveal an unexpectedly hard edge to the composer, turning dark and violent, with movement names such as 'rapid and savage' and 'warlike Allegro', finally culminating in a 'clear and solemn' conclusion.