Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Complete Music for Voice and Guitar Joanna Klisowska & Giulio Tampalini

• Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968): Songs of Wandering, Op. 207, Pt. 1:
• 1 I. When the Morning of Life Had Passed 02:38
• 2 II. The Dove That Nests in the Tree- top 01:59
• 3 III. Wrung with Anguish… 01:40
• Songs of Friendship, Op. 207, Pt. 2:
• 4 I. Sorrow Shatters my Heart 02:14
• 5 II. Fate Has Blocked the Way 04:15
• 6 III. O Brook 01:43
• Of Wine, and of the Delights of the Sons of Men, Op. 207, Pt. 3:
• 7 I. Drink Deep, my Friend 00:46
• 8 II. Dull and Sad is the Sky 01:04
• 9 III. The Garden Dons a Coat of Many Hues 01:31
• The World and Its Vicissitudes, Op. 207, Pt. 4:
• 10 I. Men and Children of This World 01:38
• 11 II. The World is Like a Woman of Folly 00:50
• 12 III. Only in God I Trust 02:03
• The Transience of the World, Op. 207, Pt. 5:
• 13 I. Where Are the Graves 00:50
• 14 II. Let Man Remember All His Days 01:26
• 15 III. I Have Seen Upon the Earth 01:45
• 16 IV. Come Now, to the Court of Death 01:10
• 17 V. Peace Upon Them 01:50
• 18 VI. I Behold Ancients Graves 00:58
• Epilogue:
• 19 Wouldst Thou Look Upon Me in My Grave? 02:22
• Ballata dall'Esilio:
• 20 Ballata dall'Esilio 04:42
• Arise:
• 21 Arise, from the Shakespeare Songs, Vol. 6 No. 2 01:26
• Seals of Love:
• 22 Seals of Love, from the Shakeaspeare Songs, Vol. 4 No. 2 00:53
• Romance del conde Arnaldos:
• 23 Romance del conde Arnaldos 02:54
• La ermita de san Simon:
• 24 La ermita de san Simon 02:15
• Total Runtime 44:52

Info for Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Complete Music for Voice and Guitar

This is the fourth volume on Brilliant Classics of the vibrantly cosmopolitan music of the Jewish-Italian, US composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. His heritage is reflected in this substantial song-cycle for soprano and guitar, receiving here only its second modern recording. The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra is a setting of 19 poems, in a modern English translation, by a medieval Spanish Jew who wrote, like Castelnuovo-Tedesco almost a millennium later, in exile.

Thus the subject of its first section is ‘Songs of Wandering’, before friendship and love turn sour in the second section. Sorrow and defeat also mark the third, ‘Of Wine, and of the Delights of the Sons of Men’ – though still within the composer’s appealingly melodic vein – before the return of spring and a more positive outlook to close the cycle, in which the poet bravely faces ‘The World and its Vicissitudes’ before contemplating mortality with calm resignation in a moving epilogue.

The piece is a substantial addition to the growing discography of the composer on Brilliant Classics, including releases dedicated to his guitar studies (BC95219), duets (BC94833), concertos (BC7615) and piano music (BC94811), as well as samples of his prolific output on several compilations. The fine Italian guitarist Giulio Tampalini has his own impressive discography on the label, in music by Paganini (BC95031), Mozzani and Respighi (BC95230), Tárrega (BC94336) and more. Here he is joined by the Polish soprano Joanna Klisowska, who has sung with many major European early-music ensembles.

The album is completed with individual songs in Spanish and Italian as well as two settings of Shakespeare. Ranging in date across the composer’s long career, they exhibit his full stylistic range, from the impressionistic, late-Romantic language of the English songs to the more harmonically adventurous terrain of two Spanish folksongs.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) wrote his song cycle “The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra” in the last years of his life, a work of reflection on the human condition. Moses Ibn Ezra (1055-1138) was a Jewish poet who took refuge in Spain after the conquest of his land by the Berber Almoravids, an obvious and deep inspiration for the Jew Castelnuovo-Tedesco who experienced the same fate of exile when moving in 1939 to the USA, fleeing the Nazi threat. The song cycle “Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra” is in English, a translation of the original Hebrew poetry. The work is divided in 5 parts, and describes the stages of human life and its fate: “Songs of Wandering”, “Songs of Friendship”, “Wine and the delights of Sons of Men”, “the World and its Vicissitudes” and “the Transience of the World”. The musical tone is elegiac, sometimes melancholy, a bittersweet reflection on a long life full of glory and despair.

A beautiful interpretation by soprano Joanna Klisowska, specialist in Early Music and 20-th century repertoire, and master guitarist Giulio Tampalini. The booklet contains excellent liner notes written by the famous composer Angelo Gilardino, in both English and Italian.

Giulio Tampalini, classical guitar
Joanna Klisowska, soprano

Joanna Klisowska
The artist was born in Wroclaw, Poland. It was also in Wroclaw where she began her musical education – first as a violinist, and then as a singer at the Academy of Music in Professor B. E. Werner’s class. Afterward, Joanna Klisowska completed baroque singing course under the artistic direction of C. Ansermet (Milan) as well as graduated with honors from a two-year post-graduate studies at the faculty of early music at the Musikhochschule Trossingen under the direction of Ch. Hilz and M.K. Kiehr.

The Soprano also worked under the direction of famous Polish singer Jolanta Zmurko and attended numerous courses devoted to baroque music performance led by G. Banditelli, P. Kooij, B. Schlick, J.Christensen, L. Brunmayr-Tutz, inter alia.

Joanna Klisowska specializes in performing music of the baroque and classical periods. She is, however, also interested in French music from the end of the 19th century, lied and contemporary music.

The artist carries out intense concert activity. She collaborates with C. Astronio, G. Capuano, R. King, B. Kuijken, L. Ghielmi, V.Luks P. Nemeth, P.Neumann, M. Schuldt-Jensen, M. Toporowski, Ch.Toet, R. Vettori as well as with such groups like Accademia della Arcadia, Artsemble, Bozen Baroque Ensemble, Il Canto di Orfeo ,Collegium 1704, Divina Armonia, Immortal Bach Ensemble, Stuttgarter Vocal Ensemble, Mitteleuropea Orchestra Barocca, La Verdi Barocca.

The Soprano performed at many festivals:Utrecht Early Music Festival, Festival Ambronay, Rheingau Musik Festival (Germany), Wratislavia Cantans (Wroclaw), Settimane Barocche (Brescia), Musica e Poesia a S. Maurizio (Milan), Festival Hendlowski [Heandel Festival] (Poznan), Festival Internazionale di Danza e di Musica Antica (Milan), Festival Brezice (Brezice), Festival di Musica Barocca di Rovino (Rovigno), Festival Mozart (Rovereto), Maj z Muzyka Dawna [May with Early Music] (Wroclaw), Miedzynarodowy Festiwal Muzyki Organowej i Kameralnej [International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music] (Wroclaw), Musica Elettronica Nuova (Wroclaw), among others.

Joanna Klisowska gives concerts all over Europe. She also conducts educational activity and master music courses. For two years, she has been in the jury of Concorso Internazionale di Musica Antica, which takes place in Pienza (Italy). Presently, together with G. Capuano and Il Canto di Orfeo group, Joanna Klisowska is recording all the oratorios of Carissimi and Rossi.

In her recording oeuvre, one can find the currently discovered Oratorium Musicum „Der Mensch ein Gottesmörder” by L. Mozart recorded with Bolzano Baroque Ensemble (C.Astronio) under the direction of Claudio Astronio for Amadeus (Italy) as well as motets by F. A. Bonporti recorded for the Austrian ORF (Alte Musik) , Responsoria by J.D.Zelenka with Collegium 1704 and Vaclav Luks (Akccent 2012), and recently a new CD presenting sacred music by Henry Purcell for soprano and bass with the participation of P. Kooij for Stradivarius (Italy).

Giulio Tampalini
has been hailed internationally as one of the most popular and charismatic classical guitarists, and as such he tours regularly and extensively in his country and abroad (La Fenice Opera Theatre Venice, Rome Parco della Musica, Shubert Theatre Tremont Boston U.S.A., Teatro Renascença Porto Alegre Brazil, Ithaca College New York U.S.A., Qintai Grand Theatre Wuhan China, Cearte Arts Centre Baja California Mexico, Muhsin Ertuğrul Theatre Istanbul Turkey, Safadi Foundation Lebanon, Nadine Chaudier Thetare Avignon France, Musée international de la Croix-Rouge Geneve Switzerland, Salle Jacques Huisman Théâtre National Bruxelles Belgium).

Winner of the Arts and Culture Prize (Milan, Italy 2014), he has recorded over 25 CDs and he has played more than 2000 concerts all over the world. He has won many prizes at major international guitar competitions such as the “Narciso Yepes” Competition in Sanremo (chairman: Narciso Yepes); the International Rome Competition in 1996 and 2000; “De Bonis” International Competition in Cosenza; “Pittaluga” International Competition in Alessandria; “Fernando Sor” International Competiton in Rome and the “Andrés Segovia” International Competiton in Granada. In 2001 he performed at the Christmas concert in the Vatican in honour of the Pope. He plays the guitar as a solo performer, but also in chamber music, with orchestra, choir, strings, percussions, saxophone and many other different ensembles. His musical collaborations include the Soloists of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. In 2003 his double CD “Francisco Tarrega: Complete Works for Guitar” was awarded the Golden Guitar at the International Guitar Meeting in Alessandria as “Best CD of the year”. Among his other notable CDs are: the “Concierto de Aranjuez” by Joaquin Rodrigo for guitar and orchestra, recorded with the Orchestra “Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli”; all the major guitar works by Angelo Gilardino; the complete Six Rossinianas by Mauro Giuliani; the Concerto no. 1 op. 99, the Quintet Op. 143 and the Romancero Gitano by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, recorded with the Haydn Symphony Orchestra; the complete works for guitar by Miguel Llobet; and a DVD containing the complete solo guitar works by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Giulio Tampalini is a tenured Professor at the Adria Conservatory of Music (Italy) and he is regularly invited to give masterclasses all over Europe. He plays guitars made by the English guitar maker Philip Woodfield.

Booklet for Castelnuovo-Tedesco: The Divan of Moses Ibn Ezra, Complete Music for Voice and Guitar