Ivan Fedele

Mixtim (1989)

II giardino di giada II per flauto in sol e trio d'archi (1991)

Notturno (1988-2004)

Arcipelago Mobius per clarinetto' in sib, violino, violoncello e contrabbasso (2004)
Roberta Gottardi clarinetto

Profilo in eco per flauto e ensemble (1994-95)

Stradivarius STR 33717

Mario Caroli introduced me to composer Ivan Fedele at Strasbourg's Musica festival in 2000:-

Flauto Fuoco
A solo recital by Mario Caroli introduced a young Italian flautist of superb accomplishment, who bids fair to become the successor to Gazzelloni, Artaud & Valade, 20 C. virtuosi who have inspired composers to expand the possibilities of the once humble, now ever-increasingly sophisticated, modern instrument. He inspired immediate confidence and there was never a false note or unintended sound to break the spell. Ivan Fedele, composer of two of the four characterful pieces dedicated to this 26 year old Italian performed in Strasbourg's Italian Institute, confirmed in conversation my impression that Caroli has advanced flute playing technique to a new level for the new century. His Dedica was expanded from material used in a composition course, and Apostrophe ("Bravo") is 'a homage to intelligent virtuosity', exploring the range from ppp, soffiato to fff, penetrante - those pieces should be sought out by ambitious flautists.

Five years on, this CD finds both musicians at peak eminence in the world of contemporary music. Fedele is little known in UK, as yet, but the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be presenting Scena, a large-scale orchestral work by Ivan Fedele, at The Barbcan on November 30, conducted by David Robertson, with a pre-concert talk. Caroli has been heard in London recently at RFH (Saariaho) and the Royal Academy of Arts (Feldman).

The music here is exquisitely beautiful to listen to - if your ears are attuned to it, which many won't be - "Are my ears on wrong?" Charles Ives famously said to his nephew. It is usually translucent, nervous, energetic; perfectly turned and realised in these performances of works from 1989-2005. The ensemble is (necessarily) high class; the scores are immensely demanding, and nothing short of dedication will serve. Caroli features as solist in two of the most substantial, II giardino di giada II featuring flute in G, and Profilo in eco explores Fedele's interests in resonance, space and electronics.

I have to say that sensitive and beautiful as are the sounds, the structures are virtually impossible to write about, and you would need two PhDs to make much sense of conductor Marco Angius' dense notes. What they do make clear is this is a fully aware composer whose music is based on "a library of creative procedures" which (maybe) the listener does not need to know.

I have also received and enjoyed a recording of the 2005 world premiere of Fedele's Capt-Actions for string quartet and accordionist (Quatuor Danel & Pascal Contet), which "uses for the first time a new system of "capteurs", which are able to send all data regarding the contours of a musical gesture directly to the computer, which, in turn, interprets this information on real time, according to the archetypes of modulation set a priori by the composer." You see what I mean?

I cannot help you a lot, but urge contemporary music afficionados to explore some of Ivan Fedele's music and not to miss Scena (1998) at The Barbican, already available on CD: q.v. http://www.musicalpointers.co.uk/reviews/cddvd/FEDELE_Concertos.htm.