Costantino Catena, the pianist, is described as 'rare in his generation' for his ability to 'sing on the keyboard with an inventiveness of phrasing'.
Recording & Production
Many of the compositions on this album, including the Bagatelle, are world premiere recordings, discovered by pianist Costantino Catena at the Staatsbibliothek in Munich.
Critical Reception
Wolf-Ferrari's posthumous reputation was affected by his work in Austro-German territory and under Hitler's regime, leading to him being largely forgotten and undervalued after the War.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wolf-Ferrari believed in the existence of timeless beauty, independent of 'isms' and technical recipes, and that 'to follow the rules doesn't guarantee beauty but neither does to not follow them'.
Composer Biography
Wolf-Ferrari's frequent moves during his youth gave him a dual identity, both existential (German) and musical (Italian).
Composer Biography
The First World War caused Wolf-Ferrari, who was living in neutral Zurich, to experience a dramatic creative silence for seven years due to the severing of Italian-German unity.
Composer Biography
Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, the composer, was the son of a German painter and a Venetian woman, and began his artistic career in painting before dedicating himself to music at age 16.
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