Cinzia Milani guitar

A Tribute to

PrestiIda

Since I was a child, when I first started studying the guitar, I have always admired Ida Presti. I consider her a real pioneer among the concert guitarists of the period, not only on account of her great talent, but also for the fact that she was a female musician in a world as difficult as ours.

Still today I find her performances really modern, a source of great wisdom as regards both musical analysis and interpretation.

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of her death, the current recording is intended as a homage with a focus on an aspect of Ida Presti’s musical life that is perhaps less well known: her oeuvre as a composer and soloist.

Getting to know Isabelle Presti, Ida’s granddaughter, greatly helped me come to grips with her music and appreciate the unique heritage that she has left for later generations.

My initial research into the composers who wrote for Ida Presti naturally drew me deeply into her life, and this I found very exciting. Yet I would never have imagined that I might discover unpublished compositions dedicated to her, or that I would have the opportunity and honour of meeting the families that were musically close to Ida, establishing friendships and active collaboration with the descendants of those same composers, who are musicians as well.

Each time a piece emerged from oblivion I was filled with happiness, my life enriched by the perception of musical events that were and are of great importance for the world of the guitar. Breathing new life into these forgotten works has been a real joy that I am delighted to share with the people who have made this homage to Ida possible, and more in general with whoever choses to listen to this album.

So I would like to thank Isabelle Presti for her friendship and support. She has opened up a chapter of history for me, and through it I have been able to get much closer to Ida.

My thanks also go to Jean-Bernard Morançon, Guy’s son, who welcomed my decision to include Analecta in the recording, and who facilitated the ensuing collaboration with his father; to Marybel Dessagnes, Gontran’s daughter, for her support and friendship in our shared effort in recovering works by her father; and to

A Tribute to Ida PrestiMusic for solo guitar

Ida Presti 1924-19671. Danse Rythmique 2’53

Alexandre Lagoya 1929-1999 2. Caprice 1’523. Rêverie 3’31

Miguel Ablóniz 1917-20114. Pequeña Romanza 1’52

Ida Presti5. Etude du matin* 2’41

John W. Duarte 1919-20046. Idylle pour Ida* 4’37

Dimitris Fampas 1921-1996 Concert Studies7. No.1 1’178. No.8 4’20

Ida Presti9. Segovia 6’08

Gontran Dessagnes 1904-197810. Tendresse 3’58

Cinzia Milani11. Quattro Mi 4’04

Francis Poulenc 1864-191512. Sarabande* 2’44

Ida Presti13. Etude 1 0’4614. Etude 2 2’0715. Etude 3 2’3616. Etude 4 1’0317. Etude 5 1’1518. Etude 6 2’03

Guy Morançon b.192719. Analecta* 10’42

Cinzia Milani guitarGuitar made by Gabriele Lodi

* Guitar made by Gioachino Giussani

Frédéric Zigante for his precious friendship and collaboration in research.I will always be grateful for this music, because it has helped me reflect through Ida on works that are timeless.© Cinzia Milani

When Cinzia Milani first spoke to me about her idea for a homage to my grandmother, I asked her what Ida Presti meant to her.She replied: She was a FREE woman.She was indeed free; free to serve the music that she took with her on her worldwide travels throughout her life! Ida had human qualities, spiritual gifts and talents as an instrumentalist that were totally exceptional: an enfant prodige of the guitar whose elegant nimbleness, luminous musicality and wonderful self-confidence made her the greatest woman guitarist of all times.© Isabelle Presti

An “Analecta” is a collection of pieces, a set of extracts or chosen studies.I composed this work in memory of Ida Presti, whom I had the opportunity to meet. With her husband, Alexandre Lagoya, she had formed an acclaimed duo. And she was one of the greatest guitarists of her time. I admired her enormously.Analecta is a suite consisting of pieces for an instrument that for a certain period I particularly appreciated. This may seem paradoxical, because I was essentially an organist, and also an orchestral and choral conductor.Many years have passed since I last heard this work, so I shall be very happy, Cinzia, to listen to your performance here.© Guy Morançon

Gontran Dessagnes first met Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya, two exceptional guitarists, in 1954. The encounter was the start of an unshakable friendship that helped shape the classical guitar repertoire. Among the works thus born were several

remarkable and somewhat atypical compositions for solo guitar that were homages to Ida. These were followed by duos and two concertos for two guitars and orchestra, the first of their kind in the history of music. Again they were homages, this time to the virtuoso skill of an extraordinary couple.© Marybel Dessagnes, daughter of the composer

Notes On The WorksAlongside the works by Ida Presti herself, for this recording I decided to add a number of pieces dedicated to her by other composers who knew her and appreciated her artistry, including her husband Alexandre Lagoya.

The album starts with a portrayal of the couple in the shape of the Danse Rythmique that Ida Presti dedicated to her husband, followed by the two pieces Caprice and Rêverie that Alexandre dedicated to his wife. Other composers wrote their pieces while Ida Presti was still alive: for example Abloniz, whose Pequena Romanza was premiered by Ida herself on 3rd December 1948 at the Parpignan Conservatoire; or Poulenc, who in 1960 wrote the famous Sarabande; or indeed the Greek composer Dimitri Fampas, the first 12 of whose 24 Concert Studies were dedicated to Ida Presti, while numbers 13 to 24 were dedicated to Andrés Segovia - thereby putting the two guitarists on the same footing. Gontran Dessagnes, who made an important contribution to the evolution of composition, developed a great friendship with Ida and Alexander, writing his Tendresse for Ida in 1954.

Following Ida’s sudden death in 1967, in August the composer Guy Morançon wrote Analecta, in memoriam. Then in 1985 John W. Duarte dedicated his Idylle to the great guitarist. As a token of my huge admiration for the ease with which Ida Presti was able to hold down four E notes on the guitar fingerboard, a truly extraordinary feat that astounded audiences of the time, I would like to dedicate my own piece Quattro Mi to her, with great affection. © Cinzia Milani

Frédéric Zigante per la preziosa amicizia e collaborazione nella ricerca.Grazie a tutta questa musica che mi ha permesso di specchiarmi in Ida e di far si

che la sua musica sia senza tempo e per sempre.© Cinzia Milani

Lorsque Cinzia Milani m’a parlé de son projet artistique pour rendre hommage à ma grand-mère, je lui ai demandé ce que représentait Ida Presti à ses yeux.Elle m’a répondu : c’était une femme LIBREOui elle était libre, libre pour servir la musique qu’elle a tout au long de sa vie emmenée sur tous les continents de notre terre ! Des qualités exceptionnelles tant sur le plan humain que sur le plan instrumental et spirituel, qui ont permis à cette enfant prodige de la guitare dont l’élégante vélocité, la lumineuse musicalité, la merveilleuse sûreté en ont fait la plus grande guitariste de tous les temps.© Isabelle Presti

Un “Analecta” est un recueil de pièces, un ensemble d’extraits ou de morceaux choisis.J’ai composé cette oeuvre à la mémoire d’Ida Presti, que j’avais eu l’occasion de

rencontrer. Elle a formé avec son mari, Alexandre Lagoya, un duo fort célèbre. Et elle était l’une des plus grandes guitaristes de son époque, pour qui j’avais une grande admiration.

Analecta est une suite de pièces pour un instrument que j’ai particulièrement aimé à une certaine époque. Ceci est assez paradoxal, car j’ai été surtout organiste, et aussi chef d’orchestre et chef de choeur.

Il y a assez longtemps que je n’ai pas eu l’occasion d’entendre cette pièce, et je serai très heureux, Cinzia, de l’écouter sous vos doigts.© Guy Morançon

Fin da bambina, quando iniziai a studiare chitarra, ho sempre ammirato la figura di Ida Presti, ritenendola una pioniera fra i concertisti dell’epoca: in parte per il suo grande talento ed in parte per essere una donna musicista in un mondo difficile come il nostro.

Ancora oggi le sue esecuzioni sono assolutamente attuali, fonte di grande senso dell’analisi musicale e dell’interpretazione.

Nel 50° anniversario della sua scomparsa, con questa registrazione, voglio rendere omaggio a Lei illuminando una parte forse un po’ sconosciuta e dimenticata della sua vita musicale: Ida compositrice e solista.

La conoscenza e l’amicizia con Isabelle Presti, nipote di Ida, è stata fondamentale e mi ha permesso di comprendere veramente la sua musica facendomi sentire ancor di più l’impronta unica che ha lasciato Ida.

Quando ho iniziato la mia ricerca tra i compositori che hanno scritto per Ida Presti, addentrandomi nella storia della vita di Ida ero molto emozionata e curiosa, ma non mi sarei aspettata di scoprire composizioni inedite dedicate a lei, e di avere l’occasione e l’onore di poter conoscere le famiglie che sono state legate musicalmente ad Ida, intessendo amicizie e collaborazioni con i discendenti degli stessi compositori, anche loro musicisti.

Ogni volta che un brano appariva dalla storia e veniva liberato dalla polvere del tempo è stata una fonte di felicità e di nuove scoperte storiche molto importanti per il mondo della chitarra. Ridare suono e vita a queste musiche dimenticate è per me una grande gioia che condivido con le persone che hanno reso possibile la realizzazione di questo omaggio a Ida e con chi avrà il piacere e la curiosità di ascoltare il cd.

A questo proposito ringrazio: Isabelle Presti, nipote di Ida, per l’amicizia ed il supporto, oltre che per il contributo storico, la quale mi ha permesso di vivere più da vicino la storia di Ida;

Jean-Bernard Morançon, figlio di Guy, che ha accolto con grande felicità la mia scelta di incidere “Analecta” ed ha facilitato la collaborazione con suo padre;

Marybel Dessagnes, figlia di Gontran, per la stima ed amicizia e l’intento comune di riportare alla luce le opere di suo padre;

contemporaneamente quattro note “mi” sulla tastiera della chitarra, cosa più unica che rara , stupendo la platea dell’epoca, ho voluto dedicarle con affetto il brano “Quattro Mi” .

Interpretando tutte queste composizioni si sente sempre nel cuore e nelle note l’alternarsi delle diverse fasi della sua vita, del suo essere artista e donna, delle sue grandi qualità musicali ma anche umane.© Cinzia Milani

La rencontre dès 1954 entre Gontran Dessagnes et les deux guitaristes d’exception, Ida PRESTI et Alexandre LAGOYA s’est révélée majeure pour l’évolution du répertoire classique. De cette amitié indéfectible vont naître des oeuvres fortes et atypiques pour solo, en hommage à Ida.

Suivront des duos et deux concertos, les premiers pour deux guitares et orchestre jamais écrits dans l’Histoire de la musique, l’ensemble consacrant la virtuosité du prestigieux couple.© Marybel Dessagnes, fille du compositeur

Note Sui BraniIn aggiunta alle composizioni di Ida Presti, ho scelto e ricercato una serie di brani dedicati a lei, composti oltre che dal marito Alexander Lagoya, da grandi compositori che a loro modo hanno avuto occasione di conoscerla ed apprezzarla.

Ho voluto iniziare il cd presentando in musica la coppia Presti-Lagoya ,con il brano di Ida Presti “Danse Rythmique”, dedicato appunto al marito Alexander Lagoya e viceversa i due brani seguenti “Caprice” e “Reverie”, dedicati da Alexander alla moglie Ida. Alcuni compositori hanno scritto i loro brani quando Ida Presti era ancora in vita, come ad esempio Abloniz , la cui “Pequena Romanza” venne eseguita per la prima volta proprio da Ida Presti il 3 dicembre 1948 al Conservatorio di Parpignan; Poulenc che nel 1960 compose la famosissima “Sarabande” ed ancora il compositore greco Dimitris Fampas che scrisse 24 Studi da Concerto dedicati a Ida Presti (dall’ 1 al 12) ed Andrès Segovia (dal 13 al 24), ponendo così Ida Presti al pari di Andrès Segovia. Gontran Dessagnes fu una figura molto importante nello sviluppo compositivo dell’epoca e intesse una forte collaborazione ed amicizia con Ida ed Alexander; scrisse “Tendresse” a Ida nel 1954.

Subito dopo la scomparsa improvvisa di Ida nel 1967, il compositore Guy Morançon nel mese di agosto scrisse “Analecta, in memoriam“, e più recentemente nel 1985 John W. Duarte omaggiò la grande chitarrista con “Idylle”. Spinta dall’ammirazione per la facilità con la quale Ida Presti riusciva a schiacciare

Cinzia Milani described by international press:

Cinzia has great musicianship along with a healthy, strong and brilliant technique. She has a good sound, big. Listening to her play, you are aware that she is a unique young musician. She is serious and thoroughly engrossed in the music and her performance. You have the feeling that she loves playing even more than merely performing.Guitar International

Miss Milani is something more than the usual talented youngster with flying fingers, having a world of expression, musicianship, a feeling for her instrument, all combined with a lovely and powerful tone, so rare even in older and more experienced players.Classical Guitar

She has a confident and polished technique, a sensible sense of expression, and a very sensitive approach to the music.South Texas Classical Guitar

She took the audience on an emotional wonder ride; that it seems rare to find artists like Milani with her intuition for the guitar; floated onto stage to captivate the smaller than usual audience without playing one note. And when she did, she took them to a realm were only well-played classical guitar music has the key to.The Announcer

She is considered among the best young classical guitarists of her timeGrocott’s Mail

Recording: February 2017, Studio Bartok, Bernareggio (MI), ItalySound engineer: Raffaele CacciolaCinzia Milani plays guitars made by Gioachino Giussani and Gabriele Lodi, RC StringsPhotographer: Ian StuartPhoto of Ida Presti: © Thanks to Presti Familyp & © 2017 Brilliant Classics