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Tansman

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Alexandre Tansman – Complete Music for Solo Guitar
Performing these guitar works, to which I compare myself with great humility, I
almost feel able to get a great compositional lucidity spirit, and geniality without any
kind of exhibitionism.
The great Polish compositor Alexandre Tansman seems to be expressing with his
guitar work, his personality most deep sense, like if this instrument could allow him
to perform an expres-sion purified from any kind of expressive diaphragm.
Tansman’s compositional guitar work is indissolubly tied to Andres Segovia,
compositor’s great inspirator and unforgettable executor of his music.
The strong connection between them goes back to 1924 and becomes almost
immediately a human and personal bond, in addition to the musical side of it, a
strong connection, often able to influence the destiny of some of the Polish author
works. It’s not in doubt that Tansman considered “the guitar” as something
indissolubly tied to Segovias figure, l’unique.
The Tansman who composes for guitar, is a very different composer than the one
who does it for piano or orchestra: He uses a language more tied to a typical Segovian
aesthetic, although he never gets overwhelmed by it.
The music Tansman composes for our instrument has the rare most absolut
frankness, the most miraculous transparency and spontaneity virtues.
Music is a summary of cultural elements really distant from each other: we can
rediscover Ravel’s and Scriabin’s influences, as well as a French neoclassical mould,
but most of all a deep love and inspiration coming from his Poland, of which he
is one of the main composers; a love tied to a sense of nostalgia which manages to
express in total in his guitar works, often inspired by Polish inspiration music, often
with a gloomy background.
Alexandre Tansman music is almost never “virtuosistic” in the literal sense of
this word. We won’t find any frenzied technical passage, really complex arpeggio
formulas, or pieces which require an exasperated technique in “Suite in Modo
Polonico” or “Cavatina”.
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Anything but simple, Tansman’s music requires an analysis ability to summarize
and control the aspects more tied to the guitar’s expressivity, requires an
interpretation often made of different layers of in-depth analysis, a technique which
can always be available to music. The interpretation of his work it’s always extremely
complex, both with counterpoint pieces and apparently more simple ones.
His music is written with semplicity and a spontaneity which preservation for the
entire execution it’s of vital importance, this semplicity requires an action of sublimation
towards the interpretational difficulties that can be found at every single bar.
While choosing what to include in the repertoire presentation, I had to deal with
some intervention, those one performed by Segovia, who is not always easy to live
with and not possible to repeal bluntly.
Segovia interventions are usually agreed with Tansman and this condivision of
choices clears any possible doubt. It’s not possible however to totally ignore which
the creative path of a work is, and in doing this analysis, it is necessary to have an
historical angle and to look at reality with attention, in an interpretative way, also
trying to consider the possibility of some choices about the repertoire execution.
The “Suite in Modo Polonico” represents the most significant example of this
evaluation process. The gestation of this work took many years and deserves an in-
depth study.
The work was initially thought as a Suite made of 6 movements, in part uneven,
which were born from a nucleus composed by two elaborations of works thanks to
the XVI century: a Branle and a Gaillarde.
The remaining pieces should have been Kujawiak, Tempo di Polonaise, Kolysanka
and Oberek, pieces inspired by Polish tradition.
To this corpus and with Tansman approval, Segovia added three pieces which
extrapolated from a previous Suite, composed by Tansman in 1954: Kolysanka
n.1(Berceuse d’orient), Rêverie (Canzonetta) and Alla Polacca and, afterwords the
Mazurka too, first guitar work composed in 1925.
The other three pieces of the Suite composed in 1954, Notturno romantico,
Invenzione and Segovia were simply put a side, to be then published, posthumous by Cristiano Poli Cappelli is one of the most
Corazon Otero. interesting guitarists of his generation,
My choice hasn’t been, as you can clearly see, not easy at all. On the one hand I’m winner of various international contests Please supply a better quality
firmly convinced that Segovia choices can’t be simply removed as they were approved and considered an elegant and sensible picture, it’s this big at the
by Tasman. On the other hand Tasman himself seems to make a definitive choice in musician, more interested in showing the moment!
1976, when preparing a harp accompaniment for the Suite in Polonico mode, initially works purely musical aspects that he faces
makes a clear selection which I decided to respect, selecting these movements: Entrée with intensity and sense of balance than
(Branle), Gaillarde, Kujawiak (Mazurka lente), Tempo di polonaise, Kolysanka No.2, the pure virtues of the guitar.
Oberek (Mazurke vive) He dedicated most of his career to
It’s logical that the three pieces extracted by Segovia from the Suite composed chamber music, collaborating with
in 1954 could flow into their “place of origin”: from here my choice to “recreate” important musician and being now active
the Suite in its original structure: Notturno romantico Alla polacca, Canzonetta, part of the Duo PacePoliCappelli with who
Invenzione, Berceuse d’Orient, Segovia. took an artistic path of great commitment.
© Cristiano Poli Cappelli Today the Duo is considered one of
the most important guitar Duo of the
world: their last Cd includes works for
Mario Catelnuovo-Tedesco two guitars,
attracted very quickly a great number
of extremely positive impressions and
collected enthusiastic reviews on the main
international maga-zines.
This is his first solo official Cd.

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 This work is dedicated to my children, Alessandro and Anita. Also available on Brilliant Classics

To Marianne Tansman for her generous and precious advices.

To Andrea Pace for his practical and moral support and his
precious friendship.
To Letizia Guerra, without her a good part of my life would
have gone in a completely different direction.
To Leonardo De Gregorio for making my great guitar
To Giorgio Mirto for his precious and rare friendship..
To Edoardo Pieri for involving me in his important work
about A. Tansman and the Suite
To Manfredo Dorindo di Crescenzo, a father, a brother and a
friend.
To Elvira Rigillo for being the foundation of anything Paul Dessau Edition Hanns Eisler Edition
wonderful which happens in my life. 9440 12CD 9430 10CD
To my mother, for her fierce and precious advices.
To my father

Thanks again to Mireille Tansman, Frederick Zigante, Angelo

Gilardino, Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo
Thanks to Pyramid Saiten.

Recording: XXXX, Abbey Red Studio, Genzano, Rome, Italy

Sound engineer: Simone Durante www.abbeyredstudio.it
Guitar: Leonardo De Gregorio guitar
Distler: Die Weihnachtsgeschichte Zimmermann: Die Weiße Rose
Cover image: Juan Gris, Harlequin with guitar
94695 1CD 95125 1CD
- & © 2015 Brilliant Classics

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