Teresa Procaccini - Musica da Camera

Teresa Procaccini

Chamber Music III

Invenzione
for flute, oboe, bassoon and piano op. 9 (1957) - 7'05" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Dialogo
for viola and piano op. 34 (1968) - 6'05" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Arabesques
for 2 guitars op. 114 (1988) - 9'23" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Sonatina
for piano op. 18 (1958) - 7'27"

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Trio
for violin, cello and piano op. 5 (1956) - 14'56"

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Andante elegiaco
for organ op. 52 (1971) - 5'20" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 630 Kb

Introduzione e Allegro
for flute and piano op. 41 (1969) - 5'40" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Little horse's story
for 4 hands piano op. 83 (1978) - 14'14" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Suggestions
for clarinet and piano op. 113 (1987) - 5'50" - [Score available]

Demo .mp3 - 30 sec. - 600 Kb

Dorel Baicu, flute
Dorin Gliga, oboe
Pavel Ionescu, bassoon
Mihai Ungureanu, piano

Paolo Centurioni, viola
Teresa Procaccini, piano

Duo Mario Fragnito - Lucio Matarazzo, guitar

Stefano Scarcella, piano

Marco Fornaciari, violin
Severino Zannerini, cello
Massimo Lambertini, piano

Teresa Procaccini, organ

Elena Cecconi, flute
Margherita Traversa, piano

Duo Stefano Scarcella - Claudio Trovajoli, piano

Antonio Fraioli, clarinet
Raffaele D'Aniello, piano

Edipan Edition
CD PAN 3072 - price 15.00 Euro -

CD info

Sixth of the 8 CD dedicated to my symphonic, sacred and chamber music released by the Edi-Pan record company, this CD contains 9 chamber compositions of various types written from 1956 to 1988. For their presentation I will use, at time, the opinions given by noted musicologists.

Erasmo Valente says:
"The composer - who independently works between the experiences of the avant-garde and the traditional conventions - wants to specify a premise to her way of working. Terms of this premise are: need to communicate avoiding useless intellec-tualism, construction of a clear and spontaneous musical language.Accustomed to dealing with music since she was a child, Teresa Procaccini mainly respects spontaneity. To such "objective" components we would add other ones related to her "subjective" poetics, that is peculiar to a personal style within the wide scene of today's music. The above mentioned spontaneity (and the fear to lose it) is part of composer's poetics and makes her to create an essential language, without formal complications. Thanks to a strong musical "pathos", the composer "masks" her sincere inventive emotion as soon as it satisfies her need of expression. Achieved this secret (and ambitious) aim, that is the main moment in her way of creating music, the composer tries to "divert" attention from the above mentioned "pathos", as it is noticeable in some meditative delays, when the sound is filled with emotion. These characteristics are the constant component emerging by listening to this CD, that gets together 30 years of experience."

Renato Chiesa's opinion on:
"INVENZIONE (Invention) for flute, oboe, bassoon and piano op. 9 (1957). It was composed by Procaccini a year before she graduated in Composition at "S. Cecilia" Conservatory in Rome; it is one of the more outgoing and bright pieces of those collected in this CD. Some elements, that will be recurrent in the further composer's production, already appear: the strongly rhythmic break, with frequent allusions to dance and jazz taste (see use of syncopated); the vivacious character that in the first indication allegro scherzoso appears as joy of creating music, ease of wave and reaches strong effects in the great unison of all instruments; the contrapuntual-meditative falling back of the molto moderate, freely stratified with notable evocative ability; the fanciful inspiration, almost improvisation, that gives the image of a prompt musica-lity and a creative freshness.

DIALOGO (Dialogue) for viola and piano op. 34 (1968) is perfectly respondent to composer's premises and to the poetic line that we have tried to put in evidence. In this work musical language, firmly built and loaded with strong pathos, emerges clearly and spontaneously. The andantino scorrevole, in which the DIALOGO flows, reconciles "elegiac" and "dynamic" moments, which alternate and give a relaxed form typical of the composer's need of expression.
ARABESQUES for 2 guitars op. 114 (1988) presents the tipical three movements, but the first of them is not the traditional allegro, but a very fluent adagio, a continuous and soft play of semiquavers. The interiorization of the central movement, obscured by the persistent dotted note, is contrasted by the explosion of rhythms and sounds of the last movement, that presents prominent iberian echoes and, in some passages, sudden rises that remind of Strawinsky.

SONATINA for piano op. 18 (1958) was originally composed for harpsichord (or piano) and in 1995 had a new version for marimba and piano. Based on the tipical three movements, it presents three themes characterizing each movement: rhythmic and transparent the first, expressive and involving the second, joyful and light-hearted the third (a lively tarantella)".

TRIO for violin, cello and piano op. 5 (1956) is the "youngest" composition of this CD. I composed this piece two years before getting diploma of composition and it is surely the more meaningful piece of that year: thanks to this work I won the 2nd Prize in a Competition held in Florence and it was one of my first compositions that have been broadcast on the radio. These positive events happened when I was only twenty-two years old; they gave me a large store of enthusiasm and had positive effects on my future activity. From a formal point of view the Trio is composed following the classical form. The atonal musical language is always spontaneous, essential, strictly thematic. Romantic inspirations flutter, for instance, in the 2nd theme of the 1st movement and in the andante (very poetic and elegiac); on the contrary, the 3rd movement, with its clear origins in the jazz, closes with energy a very pleasantpiece. Contrapuntual language is evident in all three movements: sometimes we have playful and easy rhythms, other times soft melodic lines chasing each other, or isorhythmic passages, especially in the 3rd movement. The Trio contains all the elements that will evolve and affirm more and more clearly in the compositions of the following years.

Cesare Casellato says:
"ANDANTE ELEGIACO (Elegiac andante) for organ op. 52 (1971) underlines consistency and clearness. The initial lyrical theme is continually being enriched by juxtapositions in organ style that diversify the simplicity of melodic lines. The changing accidental of the frequent modulations, subjected to unexpected dynamic tension and to explosion of sonority, is suitable for the "king of the instruments" in its more classical use. In the passage we can find the original way of planning unused elements thanks to an apparently easy method that confers a clear tonal character to the hardest dissonance. This is an other characteristic quality of Teresa Procaccini's musicality.

INTRODUZIONE E ALLEGRO (Introduction and Allegro) for flute and piano op. 41 (1969) presents soft, velvety and melancholy melodies alternating with other flashing, easy and light-hearted ones, in order to emphasize flute's technical and expressive possibilities. The impossibility of the chant is never contemplated.

The contrary happens in the piece that follows: LITTLE HORSE'S STORY op. 83 (1978) - piano version for four hands of the musical tale for piano and reciting voice UN CAVALLINO AWENTUROSO (An adventurous little horse) op. 23 (1960). In this composition the melody is the center of attention. The tale of the Little Horse, written by Teresa Procaccini while she was composing the first version for piano and reciting voice, was just inspired by the same music. The LITTLE HORSE'S STORY is articulated in 6 pieces: Escape into the wood: a little horse escapes from his comfortable stable because aspires to wider and more pleasant horizons. Dream: the little horse, tired for the escape into the wood, falls asleep under an oak and have sweet dreams. Loneliness: on awaking the little horse finds himself alone and frightened in the dark. Plenilune and March: luckily, the moonrise gives him courage and he happily starts off. Regret: while he is penetrating into the wood, a rhythmic and mysterious noise terrorizes him and makes him to desire his warm stable. Return: the decision of starting immediately back, running like the wind to home.In this version the reciting voice is not scheduled but it could be inserted, especially if the performance is intended for a young audience.

A brief composition for clarinet and piano, SUGGESTIONS op. 113 (1987), closes this CD. It is a fragmented play of small rhythmic cells that flows from piano to clarinet and is preceded by the clarinet's slow expressive cadenza that opens the piece. These two elements characterize all the passage and are taken up until the end with more and more quick dynamism. Also in this piece, as in all the others of this CD, Teresa Procaccini has been able to put together very different expressive elements: she moulds and organizes them in a linguistic unity that is the result of her unusual ability in elaborating expressive elements' diversity and variety."
Teresa Procaccini

Teresa Procaccini is the composer of a vast production (about 200 works), including operas, ballets, symphonic pieces, chamber works, band and symphonic band works, teaching works, which have been performed both in Italy and abroad.
After having been awarded her diploma in piano and organ (with Fernando Germani) and in composition (with Virgilio Mortari), in 1971 and 1972 she directed the Foggia Conservatory and up to 2001 she hasa been teacher of Composition at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome.
She has won national and international competitions and has held specialisation courses in composition at the Festival of Città di Castello, at the Respighi Academy in Assisi, at the Internazionale Meisterkursen in Duren (Germany) and the Frentana Music Summer in Lanciano.
;Her works have been published by Sonzogno, Zanibon, Edipan, Carisch, Bongiovanni, Curci, Leduc, Seesaw, Rugginenti, Scomegna, Pizzicato Helvetia, Berbén, Wicky, Carrara.
She has produced a remarkable quantity of music for children (short teaching operas, musical fables with reciting voice, works for boys’ Choir and piano, many pieces for young instrumentalists (strings, winds and percussions) and teaching books with tapes) published by Armando and Gulliver.
She has composed sound tracks for theatrical works and for cartoons for RAI television.
Almost all her works has been recorded by Edipan, Bongiovanni, Edizioni Paoline, Electrecord of Bucarest, Rugginenti, Grammophon AB BIS of Stockholm, Nuova Era Records, Scomegna, Altarus and Crystal Records (U.S.A.), Lira Classica M.A.P.
She has also been successful in organising concerts and since 1972 is Artistic Director of the Foggia Association of “Friends of Music” and consultant of many Association in Italy.
She conceived the touring review of “Ladies Composer of Past and Present”.
She is often guest of Juries (as President or member) of various national and international prizes and as speaker of musicology Conferences.