Franco Casavola - Futurlieder

Futurlieder is an anthology by Italian Futurist composer Franco Casavola. Invited to join the Futurist movement by F.T. Marinetti in 1922, Casavola wrote a number of scores for theatre productions, including the mechanical ballets Anihccam del 3000 and Fantasia Meccanica. He also produced a number of essays and manifestos on future music, and even a Futurist novel, Introduction to Madness. Casavola broke with Futurism in 1927 and afterwards scored only movies.

The composer claimed - falsely - to have destroyed all his Futurist scores in 1927. Futurlieder gathers together short pieces such as Dance of the Monkeys (Hop Frog), Zoological Foxtrot, Epileptic Cabaret and Campari, the latter one of the first published advertising jingles. In addition the 66 minute album includes longer song cycles such as Tankas, Liriche, La Sera and Gioielleria Notturna, all of them avowedly Modernist in character, and include settings of lyrics by the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio.

All 28 tracks on Futurlieder were recorded by Italian duo Daniele Lombardi (piano) and Susanna Rigacci (soprano) between 1994 and 2004. The set was produced by Carlo Piccardi for Radio Svizzera/Rete-Due, with whom this project is a co-production.

The cover art is based on a 1932 design by Fortunato Depero.

Tracklist:

1. La Canzone di Uriele
2. Campari
3. La Danza della Scimmie
4. Fox-Trot Zoologico
5. Tango Viola de 'Cabaret Epilettico'
6. Tankas Pt. 1
7. Tankas Pt. 2
8. Tankas Pt. 3
9. Tankas Pt. 4
10. Tankas Pt. 5
11. Tankas Pt. 6
12. Preludio a 'Prigionieri'
13. Quatrain
14. Liriche Pt. 1
15. Liriche Pt. 2
16. Liriche Pt. 3
17. La Sera Pt. 1
18. La Sera Pt. 2
19. La Sera Pt. 3
20. Entro I Boschi Alto e Soli
21. Allegro
22. Come Sorge la Luna
23. Muoio de Sete
24. Gioielleria Notturna Pt. 1
25. Gioielleria Notturna Pt. 2
26. Fides
26. Leila
28. Notte