Ernst von Dohnanyi was one of the most versatile and influential musicians of his time but his works are now seldom played. A gap which Capriccio want to fill now with this fifth recording of his late romantic, sensual music, deeply rooted in the Austro-German classical tradition. An appetizer is the overture of the one-act opera Tanta Simona, which has plenty of that Italian flair to show for that runs through the opera’s plot. After its premiere in 1910, the Suite in F-sharp minor Op.19 became one of the most performed Dohnányi’s works, whereas the American Rhapsody Op.47, which is full of quotations with American folk melodies, was his last orchestral work, first performed in 1954 at Ohio University. Finally his 8 years younger colleague Leó Weiner shows us in his early composition, the Serenade in F minor (1906) apart from the influence of the German and Austrian romantics, typical Hungarian colors and rhythms.

REVIEW:

Ernö Dohnanyi’s one-act comic opera Aunt Simona was premiered in Dresden in 1913. This aunt was once abandoned by her lover. Having become misandrist, she warns the younger generation against any relationships. The overture is already full of melodious inventions and is a pleasing start to this CD, on which the Suite op. 19 is the longest work.

With its variation movement, a scherzo, a romance and a rondo, it is a particularly attractive work, full of beautiful melodies and imaginative orchestral touches. Roberto Paternostro lovingly allows the melodies to blossom, but also sharpens the contrasts, making for an exciting performance overall.

The American Rhapsody, Dohnanyi’s homage to the United States, where he settled in 1949, is based on various American melodies without ultimately sounding truly American. Paternostro does well not to search uselessly for an Americana character, but to make the music simply vital or, for long stretches, with a lot of genuine poetry too.

– Pizzicato