An homage to

                                                                Victor De Sabata

                                                                (first part)

Commemorations are aimed to give back to the reader's attention the name and the production of a certain figure . In the case of Victor de Sabata the problem does not subsist for the mentioned reason, since the role of conductor does not need to be revived for the great musical stature since ever acknowledged to him. Deepening the cultural acknowledge about the conductor there are elements that are present in to other musicians who had risen to the podium. Who does not remember Mahler, Toscanini, all figures that did not disdain composition. Notwithstanding it remains the fact that De Sabata wrote few and broke off this practice. There's a feature common to conductors' composition that embodies in highly detailed abundance scores. Mainly this element is present in the works of De Sabata and in his 'Symphonic Poems' . The indication of tempos, phrasings, expressions exalt his way of approach of the score study and the selection of the symphonic poems, with their deep psychological basis, end up the overview of the personality of the master. The musical message risen from these pages is not essentially 'progressive' and does not places in the wake of Strauss, Ravel, but remains intentionally behind, since he does not search the success or the performance but goes to the constant and suffered analysis of his own composing ability, behind or beyond fashions and current of thought. On consequence, De Sabata did not make anything to represent his own works. The choose to perform the master's compositions was a free decision of other conductors, among whom also the figure of Lorin Maazel, who programmed the symphonic frame “The night of Platon”. As regard to this point, Maazel remembers a sentence of the master concerning his piece: “Don't ask me how to play it.....If you understand it well, you will find you way by yourself. Always listen at you musical instinct “. Quoting briefly his three pieces, the more known, we can begin from “Juventus” a symphonic poem written when he was only twenty-three years old. It seems to me important and clarifying to report the explanation written by the same author in the preface of the score: "In the symphonic poem “Juventus” the composer wants to describe the impetuous rushes and desires of youth: its never-ending dreams of conquer, its bold march toward the light of joy and dominion, and all the splendid chimeras living in every man heart... first impact with the depression reality of the everyday life, the winning dream totters, hesitates and vanishes. A deadly sadness wrap the soul, crying and hopeless. But suddenly here there is the rising of youth given back to life by the ardour of its same blood, still plenty of its uninjured strength. Believes, still hopes, revived and stronger by all the adversities and sorrows." In the composition there is the orchestral virtuosity without disregarding the German and French language, on the rest obliged passage for any conservatorie student. It can be noticed, in the same “Juventus”, links to the works of Strauss, resuming the magniloquence of the orchestral matter, the timber refinement and the tonal evolution precision. It hovers a light drama spirit that does not stand still as psychological tension for the entire piece. Of this piece there is an Eiar recording, conduced by the author and that witnesses, if it were still needed, the elegance of the compositional theme joining the conducting gesture we will talk about later. What's about “The Night of Platon”? The novelty appealing our attention is founded on the choose of variation that offers the compositor the possibility of changing the main theme. This way, De Sabata measures himself against the different orchestration possibilities, proving he had acquired whole mastery of the instruments. Listening at it, the score set beside the taste of the “Eighty Generation “ remaining , at any extent, related to the tonality atmosphere, allowing some “flashes” to dissonance.It is not disregarded the exoticism and the relation with the compositional method of the past. This return to the antique goes back to the new symbology and the new sonorities holding during the first years of our century. By the means of variations De Sabata let through into the composition all the feelings, ending with an orchestral paroxysm reflecting the conductor's thoughts. (To be continued)

 

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