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Composed for a nobleman: Giovanni Benedetto Platti’s Cello Concertos ‘Something new for the violoncello’ – for Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn, this was a longing that accompanied the music-loving nobleman, ruler of the county of Wiesentheid, all his life. Nothing better could have happened to him than that which became a manifest reality after the sudden death in 1724 of his brother, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn: the brilliant virtuoso of the Prince-Bishop’s court orchestra at Würzburg, Giovanni Benedetto Platti, now had the time and inclination to devote himself to the highly musically-inclined brother of his deceased employer. And although the archival sources – the account books, the correspondence – are somewhat less than rewarding, the music cabinet of Rudolf Franz Erwein (accessible today as the ‘Older Repertoire’ of the Schönborn Library/Musikaliensammlung der Grafen von Schönborn-Wiesentheid) speaks for itself: over 60 compositions by the Italian musician are preserved at Wiesentheid (the only place in which these works are to be found) and the vast majority features the cello, the Count’s instrument. It begins with the two volumes ‘Sonate a Violoncello Solo’, each containing six sonatas for cello and basso continuo, and the instrument also features in the 21 Trio Sonatas, where it assumes the role of second melodic instrument alongside the violin, as well as the 28 ‘Concerti con Violoncello obligato’. The date 1725 has been inscribed in the heading of the sonatas (by another hand) – were they written or presented at this time? As yet, no earlier datable compositions by Platti are known of, so we are left with the impression that the meeting of the Italian virtuoso with the passionate cellist Rudolf Franz Erwein was the trigger for this outpouring of works. (And they were not to remain the only compositions by the musician, born in Northern Italy at the end of the 17th century; while the Würzburg oratorios from the 1730s have not survived, works for piano and flute sonatas were printed by Ulrich Haffner in Nuremberg in the years 1742 to 1746, surviving in some originals and transcriptions so that the composer never quite faded into obscurity.) One can assume from this that for ten years or so, from 1724 onwards, Platti was a frequent presence in Wiesentheid: aside from his compositions, there are various traces of his activities. He presumably played music with Rudolf Franz Erwein, also preparing musical material on occasion – if a score required writing out in parts for a performance, for example. Certainly he assisted the Count when he wanted to put himself to the test as a composer, even setting to work on a Miserere. Platti’s handwriting is also to be found in the adaptations of Corelli’s Violin Sonatas Op.5. Indeed, Corelli’s personality had probably already inspired the Count in Rome, where the Schönborn brothers lived for a while during their studies, and when these works appeared in 1700 they must 2
have created a deep impression on Rudolf Franz Erwein. Platti’s adaptation is not the only one of its kind, however: Francesco Geminiani, too, reworked Corelli’s compositions as Concerti grossi, and had them printed in Amsterdam in 1726 (‘Concerti grossi … Composti delli Sei Soli della Prima Parte del Opera Quinta d’Arcangelo Corelli’). Violin sonatas as Concerti grossi?! The source which we are able to draw on for this adaptation is a manuscript of the score. Its particular Great Stave, which sounds in unison in every bar, is notated in five 5-line systems that are marked by three violin clefs, one viola and one bass clef. The parts are not marked, but can be assumed to be Violini di Concertino and Violino di Ripieno, the two low parts made obvious by means of the clef. Here, then, Corelli’s violin part is shared between the two Concertino violins (this affects in particular the double-stop positions of the fugue-like passages); the bass part, in contrast, remains essentially unaltered. The principle of the Concerto grosso calls for a small ensemble (two violins and a cello) to oppose the fuller sound of the ‘orchestra’. This Concertino ensemble plays with the cello employed as soloist throughout (the corresponding passages are indicated in the part with the marking ‘Violoncello Solo’), while in the passages marked ‘Tutti’, with the entry of all the instruments, the bass part comes with figuration – an indication that here a harmonic augmentation via a keyboard instrument, for example a harpsichord, a theorbo or another plucked string instrument, supports the chordal configuration, which at these points is naturally entrusted to the additional stringed instruments, the ripieno parts. The alternation between soloists and tutti follows the cadenzas (these can be brief insertions of two or three bars, as well as longer sequences of perhaps 10 bars), and the virtuoso embellishments of the original are dispensed with, smoothed away. The advantage is a clear definition of the musical theme through the opposition of the larger and smaller forces. Sometimes, very unusually, the arranger also intervenes for emphasis, as when in WD 538, after the beginning two bars of the opening Grave by the tutti forces, the solo first violin strikes up with Corelli’s extended triad arpeggios, and in a canon-like transposition is then followed by the second violin; in Corelli’s corresponding sonata, it was the violin alone which performed these arpeggios. The three Concerti con Violoncello obligato belong to the larger-scored concertos: in addition to the two violins and bass part they carry a viola. Each begins and ends with a fast movement which encircles a slow, middle movement marked by an expressive harmony, as is customary with Platti. In the fast movements, a characteristically nimble style – a spirited urging forward – is created, in which the composer’s preference for contrapuntal themes wins through time and again. 훿 Frohmut Dangel-Hofmann Translation: Mari Prackauskas
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Stefano Veggetti Over the years Stefano Veggetti has been continuously lauded for his highly accurate and virtuosic playing, outstanding musicianship and understanding of period style, and warm and non-stuffy stage presence. He obtained his cello diploma at the Conservatory of L’Aquila under David Cole, subsequently winning a scholarship to continue his studies in Philadelphia (USA) with Orlando Cole. After returning to Europe, and fascinated by the sound of period instruments, he attended masterclasses with Anner Bylsma, and has since played as a soloist and in chamber music ensembles with musicians who specialise in period playing – including Anner Bylsma, L’Archibudelli, Stanley Ritchie, Alfredo Bernardini, Ottavio Dantone, L’Astrée, Erich Höbarth and Rachel Podger – in Europe, Mexico and the USA. He has appeared on European radio and TV (RAI, ORF, Deutschlandfunk, RDP, Antena2 Portugal, RSI.ch), and has recorded for Nuova Era (Italy), Opus 111 (France) and Accent. Since 2000, with Ensemble Cordia, he has worked on newly discovered chamber and orchestral music from the Baroque and Classical eras, and he has made solo appearences at the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Settimane Musicali di Stresa and Bachfest Leipzig. Teaching also forms a significant part of Stefano Veggetti’s musical life; for more than a decade he has taught Baroque cello at the Conservatory in Verona and at various masterclasses across Europe, and he is currently artistic director of the Academy of Ancient Music in Bruneck. Veggetti plays on a cello by Nicola Gagliano (1737), the ‘ex Oblach’, which has been kindly lent to him courtesy of Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò.
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Ensemble Cordia Ensemble Cordia, founded and conducted by Stefano Veggetti, is dedicated to the performance of Baroque and Classical music. As the resident ensemble in Bruneck (South Tyrol), it is composed of musicians from South Tyrol and the neighbouring German- and Italian- speaking regions – strengthened, depending on the project, by famous specialists such as Stanley Ritchie, Alfredo Bernardini, Erich Höbarth, Roberta Invernizzi, Monika Mauch, Christian Hilz, Gemma Bertagnolli, Rachel Podger and Dorothee Oberlinger (all of whom appear as guests on concert and recording projects). Cordia’s concert programmes tend to vary between well-known composers (Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Haydn) and newly discovered pieces (Francesco Maria Veracini, Giovanni Benedetto Platti, Anton and Paul Wranitzky). Much of this repertoire has been recorded on Brilliant Classics, and the recordings have been met with widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike, receiving several awards from the international musical press. The use of valuable original instruments enables the ensemble to combine its own conception of an ‘authentic sound’ with youthful, fresh performances.
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Since its debut at the Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, Ensemble Cordia is enjoying an increasingly busy programme and has already appeared in Italy, Austria, Germany and France in a wide range of lively concert performances that have been enthusiastically received by both the press and public. Future engagements will see the group perform in prestigious venues such the Stresa Festival and Bachfest Leipzig. Radio and television appearances include RAI, ORF, Deutschlandfunk and Radio Svizzera Italiana. Ensemble Cordia is supported by the Municipality of Bruneck. www.cordia.it · www.facebook.com/ensemble.cordia
Harpsichord Manuel Tomadin (Keith Hill, Manchester, Michigan, 2001, after anon. German, 1702)
Ensemble Cordia
Ensemble Cordia wishes to thank the following for their kind help and support of this project: S.E. Graf Paul von Schönborn, owner of the Schönborn-Wiesentheid library; Georg and Marianne Mair; Heinz and Sigrid Zelger; Frohmut Dangel Hofmann; Alberto Iesuè; Diana Petech; and the president and the parish council of Kiens.
Violin Andrea Rognoni (Carlo Antonio Testore, Milan 1739) Isabella Bison (Giovanni Tononi, Bologna 1690) Esther Crazzolara (Georg Klotz, Mittenwald 1760) Lorenzo Gugole (Matthias Albanus, Bulsani, Tyrol 1696) Elisabeth Lochmann (Mittenwald, 18th century) Sara Uneback (Dominicus Busan, Venice 1758)
Organ Vittorio Zanon (positive organ, Giorgio Carli, 1992) Theorbo Pietro Prosser (Jiri Cepelak, Prague 1997)
This recording is dedicated to my father Orlando Veggetti and to Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò and to Anner Bylsma whose talent and inspiring influence transformed the artistic path of so many musicians
Viola Stefano Marcocchi (Petz Vils, Tyrol 1769) Alessandro Lanaro (Johann Ulrich Fichtl, Mittenwald 1757) Cello Stefano Veggetti (violoncello piccolo, Christian Gottfried Schönfelder, 1750; Nicola Gagliano, Naples 1737, kindly provided courtesy of Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò) Franziska Romaner (Italian basset, 18th century) Dalibor Pimeck (Andrea Borrelli, Parma 1730) Viola Riccardo Coelati Rama (Mittenwald, 18th century)
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Recording: 5–7 August 2011, Kiens, South Tyrol, Italy Recording producer, balance engineer & digital editing: Jens Jamin Concept & music project: Stefano Veggetti Cover & artist photos: 훿 Oliver Oppitz & 훿 2013 Brilliant Classics
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