Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gianluigi Trovesi, Gianni Coscia - Round About Offenbach (ECM 2011)



Gianluigi Trovesi: piccolo and alto clarinets
Gianni Coscia: accordion
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?