The Argentinian composer talks to us about his sonata for clarinet and piano, performed as its world première by Dimitri and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Dear Maestro, the specialized press reports new important performances of your works...

Actually, the 30th of June at Teatro Grande del Palazzo della Cultura in Latina, Dimitri Ashkenazy at the clarinet and Vladimir Ashkenazy at the piano performed as "world première" my Sonata op.38 for clarinet and piano, during the inaugural concert of the 37th edition of Festival Pontino. It was a really unreachable performance, I'm very happy about, of a piece I really care about very much.

Would you tell us about it?

Sonata op.38 is a work of a concert nature, with parts of really transcendental difficulty for both instruments, which revives the great classical form in three movements. The first movement is an Allegro moderato e maestoso assai in sonata form, based on two contrasting themes and four secondary ideas. Two of these secondary ideas have been then employed as theme in a double fugue in five parts, of an atonal character. At the reprise, all the previous themes come back, including the second theme, of a notably lyrical trait, which lasts almost five minutes! The second movement is a Scherzo fantastico (Presto misterioso e leggero), magic and phantasmagoric, a nocturnal elves' dance with a very expressive Trio (Andantino soave). The Sonata closes with a Finale, Allegro marcato assai, based on two themes of a rhythmic and almost violent character, followed by an Intermezzo (Adagio malinconico e con la più grande espressione) and by a Coda (Presto) very lively and involving.

Therefore, a wide range work...

The entire Sonata lasts over thirty minutes. The widest movement is the first one, longer than 600 bars. As I told you, there isn't any real slow movement in the Sonata, because the wide lyrical sections of the first and the second movement end up by compensating, in a certain sense, for its lack.

I believe you're very pleased that a piece of yours was performed by a duo of such prestigious performers...

As I've already told, it was about a memorable performance of two musicians out of the ordinary, who also are the dedicatees of the composition. Vladimir Ashkenazy expressed me in writing, years ago, his approval for the Renzo's Piano Notebook that, with the passing of time, has become one of my most popular works; later on, he also had words of praise for my Concerto for piano. His son Dimitri is the first clarinet of the Cavallini Quartet and I had already dedicated my Quartet with clarinet op.34 to him. Father and son perfectly know my music and can get in its structures and meanings, rendering them clear and eloquent to the listener. Sonata op.38 was thought for them, and it's obvious that it was also dedicated to them. The piano writing of the piece was thought and conceived as for the technical capacity of Vladimir Ashkenazy, it isn't even necessary to talk at length about, because anyone who's fond of music knows it very well. The writing of the piece presents an almost brahmsian density, although very brilliant and greatly impressing, because it was conceived as for the extraordinary virtuosism and the magnificent timbric scale of Ashkenazy. As far as the clarinet is concerned, instead, I mainly wanted to make stand out the magnificent sound quality of Dimitri Ashkenazy, its expressivity, the variety of dynamics and colours and his virtuosism, always elegant and agile.

In short, your activity is without a break...

My music is very often performed, and this makes me very happy. One year ago my Double Concerto op.41 for two pianos and large orchestra was world premièred: its first performance took place in Taranto the 29th October 2000, with the Orchestra della Magna Grecia (of which Vladimir Ashkenazy is chairman) conducted by Vittorio Parisi and with Fabio and Sandro Gemmiti as soloists. The concert was recorded by Vatican Radio and broadcasted in the whole world by EBU last 16th June. My most recent piece, the Ave Verum op.42, for piano and mixed choir, instead, was performed in Rome the 25th May 2001 at Teatro Ghione during the Euro Musica season. Finally, I'm currently working to a piece for violin and orchestra, commissioned by a well-known Argentinian violinist, as well as to a diptych for piano solo.

Danilo Prefumo