The indefatigable Italian duo, having wrestled with Kurt Weill (“Round About Weill”) and with Milanese composer Fiorenzo Carpi (“In cerca di cibo”), now turns its attention to another spiritual soul-brother, Jacques Offenbach. The French composer of German origin (born in Cologne in 1819) wrote some of the most playful and sparkling music of the 19th century, ingenious music that could be beautiful and highly satirical by turns, always meticulously crafted. Unconcerned whether his work was regarded as high art, unafraid of frivolity, cheerfully parodying Wagner and other cultural icons – how could Offenbach not be a hero for Trovesi and Coscia??
Frère Jacques - Round about Offenbach
Gianluigi Trovesi, Gianni Coscia
-
06:48 - 2Ah ! que les hommes sont bêtes - Mon Dieu, mon Dieu
02:09 - 3Piff, paff, pouff - La Duchessa nei caraibi
03:51 - 4Tangoffenbach
04:32 - 5Ah! vivre deux - L'eccentrico inventore
04:02 - 6Et moi ? - No, tu no !
02:08 - 7La voix
03:03 - 8Parton le barcarole
03:53 - 9Beguine del fauno
02:44 - 10Sei Italiano ? - No ! ... Je suis Brésilien
06:08 - 11La Duchessa della Czarda
02:05 - 12C'est une chanson d'amour
01:17 - 13Galop ... trotterellando
07:29 - 14Le jugement de Paris - Ma ! Non so !
05:57 - 15Dedicated to Hélène and her little birds
05:14 - 16Metamorfosi ... Pour séduire
04:41 - 17Minuetto - Olympia
02:19 - 18Ouverture - Un Americano a Troia
04:28 - 19Epilogue
01:25
So writes Umberto Eco in his third consecutive liner note for the duo of Gianluigi Trovesi and Gianni Coscia, following on from “In Cerca di cibo” and “Round About Weill”, discs which honoured respectively Milanese composer Fiorenzo Carpi and Kurt Weill with affectionate, free and witty reinterpretations. They now travel, by the scenic route, “Round about Offenbach”. Their composed and improvised responses to Offenbach revolve around their arrangements of his works including selections from “La Belle Hélène”, “La Périchole”, “La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein”, and “Les Contes d’Hoffmann”.
Offenbach, French composer of German origin (born in Cologne in 1819) wrote some of the 19th century’s most effervescent music, with a sly disregard for highbrow tastes, largely unconcerned whether his work was regarded as high art, certainly unafraid of frivolity. He gleefully parodied Wagner and other cultural icons in ingenious music that could be beautiful and highly satirical by turns, frequently playing with levels and degrees of “seriousness” and “sincerity”. But craftsmanship was a given: his pieces were always meticulously made, as even opponents were forced to allow. Debussy, through gritted teeth, called Offenbach “a gifted musician who hated music.” As a popular composer who remained an outsider, rarely fêted by the critics, he holds a particular appeal for Trovesi and Coscia, who have a long history of siding with cultural anti-heroes, in particular happily waving banners for exponents of art forms alleged to be “minor” – in this case, the operetta. For Gianluigi and Gianni, Offenbach’s a comrade, a soul brother, “Frère Jacques.”
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou need to load content from Turnstile to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Instagram. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from X. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information