Joan Manen (1883-1971) Fantasia-Sonata Op. A=22 (1929) - Diego Nizzi, guitar

Joan Manen (1883-1971) Fantasia-Sonata Op. A=22 (1929)
Largo - Allegro 00:04
Adagio cantabile 08:56
A tempo (Allegro assai) 12:38
Doppio più lento (Andante) 15:31
Più lento (come prima) 15:51

Diego Nizzi, guitar

Recorded at Bazzini Hall - Conservatorio "Luca Marenzio" - Brescia
on 2th March 2023
Audio & video recording by Marco Taio & Pourya Mohsenimotlagh
Film making and audio editing by Marco Taio
Guitar Teacher Prof. Marco Taio
Guitar made by Orlando Raponi - Rome 1974
CONSERVATORIO DI MUSICA "LUCA MARENZIO" - BRESCIA © 2023

The Fantasia was composed by Manen in September 1929 and dedicated to Segovia, who had studied it during the sixteen days of a journey made on the Trans-Siberian railway in the same year. In a summer 1930 interview for the Barcelona magazine Musica, Segovia claimed that Manen's composition was "the most important work written for guitar".

La Fantasia fu composta da Manen nel settembre 1929 e dedicata a Segovia, il quale ne aveva affrontato lo studio durante i sedici giorni di un viaggio compiuto sella ferrovia transiberiana dello stesso anno. In una intervista dell’estate del 1930 per la rivista Musica di Barcellona, Segovia affermava che la composizione di Manén era “l’opera più importante scritta per chitarra”.

Juan Manén (o catalano : Joan Manén , 14 marzo 1883 – 26 giugno 1971)
As a child, his progress in music was so rapid that his father exhibited him as a piano prodigy. Then, having studied the violin under Clemente Ibarguren, he debuted as a violinist, and met with such success that in Germany he was compared to his famous countryman Sarasate. Likewise he attracted much attention as a composer, not only in Spain, but perhaps to even a greater degree in Germany, where he resided at different times for protracted periods. His works comprise: the operas Giovanni di Napoli (1903), Der Fackeltanz (1909) and Neró i Acté (1928) with his own libretto;[1] the symphonic poem Nova Catalonia; at least three violin concertos;[2] "Fantasia - Sonata" for guitar; a suite for violin and piano; a piano quartet,[3] a string quartet,[4] and a number of exquisite miniatures for violin and orchestra. He also made a completion-cum-arrangement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto in C, which otherwise only survives in its first 259 measures.

Da bambino, i suoi progressi nella musica furono così rapidi che suo padre lo esibì come un prodigio del pianoforte . Poi, dopo aver studiato violino con Clemente Ibarguren, debuttò come violinista, riscuotendo un tale successo che in Germania fu paragonato al suo famoso conterraneo Sarasate . Allo stesso modo attirò molta attenzione come compositore , non solo in Spagna, ma forse anche in misura maggiore in Germania, dove risiedette in tempi diversi per periodi prolungati. Le sue opere comprendono: le opere Giovanni di Napoli (1903), Der Fackeltanz (1909) e Neró i Acté (1928) con libretto proprio; il poema sinfonico Nuova Catalogna ; almeno tre concerti per violino; "Fantasia - Sonata" per chitarra; una suite per violino e pianoforte; un quartetto per pianoforte, un quartetto d'archi, e una serie di squisite miniature per violino e orchestra . Ha anche realizzato un completamento con arrangiamento del Concerto per violino in do di Beethoven , che altrimenti sopravvive solo nelle sue prime 259 misure.

Diego Nizzi
Born in Treviglio, he began studying classical guitar at the Tommaso Grossi musical middle school in his hometown, continuing his studies privately with Maestro Marco Monzio Compagnoni.
He is currently attending the second year of the two-year guitar academic course under the guidance of Maestro Marco Taio at the Luca Marenzio conservatory in Brescia.
In addition to having performed in numerous concerts and made a significant number of recordings, he has obtained prizes in various national and international competitions:
● 1st overall prize in the "Estudiantina Bergamasca", "Enrico Arisi" competition
● 1st overall prize in the "La Chitarra Volante" competition;
● 2nd prize in the "Città di Palmanova" competition;
● 3rd prize in the "Gaetano Marziali" competition
● 3rd prize in the "Giulio Rospigliosi" competition.