The title is self-explanatory: this two-for-one
('241') compilation marks ten years of Chandos's generally excellent,
green-tabbed 'Musica Italiana' series of releases. These are mostly
performed by the BBC Philharmonic, but all fittingly conducted by one
of Italy's finest conductors, Gianandrea Noseda.
Noseda has emerged as a Järvi-like champion of under-exposed composers
from his homeland: a number of the ten or so Chandos discs from which these
tracks are drawn are classics in their own right. Engaging music is
delivered with poise and power from the BBC Philharmonic and indeed the
Toscanini-founded Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino under Noseda's
attentive eye/ear.
Disc one covers purely orchestral music, recognising in Casella,
Dallapiccola and Respighi a holy trinity of Italian composers for whom opera
was not everything. The second disc concentrates on that immense operatic
repertoire, mixing in – somewhat incongruously, it must be said – the odd
sacred choral work by Petrassi alongside preludes, intermezzos and the like
from names big and less big.
All in all, there is nothing here not to like, except perhaps the
compilation itself, which seems, especially as far as the second disc is
concerned, rather random. This is not a reflection on composers or
performers - selections and running order were likely determined in an
office somewhere, possibly with the lights off.
Sound quality is very good throughout, and the booklet informative,
surprisingly focused on the music rather than its conductor, who is
restricted to a short biography and several full-page photos in casual-maestro
mode. Unfortunately, Chandos give no hints as to their plans for future
instalments of this enlightening series. There is much more
musica
italiana from this era deserving of similarly high-profile exposure.
Meanwhile however, Noseda's enthusiasm and intelligence should
persuade listeners that acquisition of any or all of the original albums
would constitute a sound musical investment. For immediate hard evidence,
see this
review of the three Casella volumes
available to date.
Byzantion
Contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
Full track-list
Alfredo CASELLA (1883-1947)
Allegro molto vivace (from: Symphony no.2, op.12) [8:41]
Sinfonia and Preludio (from: Symphonic Fragments from 'La Donna
Serpente', op.50) [12:11]
Sinfonia (from: Concerto for Orchestra, op.61) [8:22]
Luigi DALLAPICCOLA (1904-1975)
Larghetto and Allegro misurato (from: Tartiniana – Divertimento for violin
& orchestra) [5:00]
Danza di Apollo & Ultima Danza di Marsia (from: Frammenti Sinfonici
dal Balletto 'Marsia') [6:30] Recitativo e Fanfara (from:
Partita for Orchestra) [5:18]
Largamente (from: Three Questions with Two Answers) [3:48]
Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936)
Nocturne and Galop (from: La Boutique Fantasque) [9:10]
Burlesca [7:30]
Marche Funèbre and Le Chaperon Rouge et le Loup (from: Five
Etudes-Tableaux) [10:21]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
*Sinfonia (from: I Vespri Siciliani) [5:15] (from DG)
*+Te Deum (from: Quattro Pezzi Sacri) [16:01]
Goffredo PETRASSI (1904-2003)
*+'Et misericordia ejus' and 'Gloria Patri, et
Filio' (from: Magnificat) [14:20]
*'Exultabo in salutari tuo' and 'Constitue, Domine,
legislatorem super eos' (from: Psalm IX) [9:06]
*Gagliardia (from: Partita for orchestra) [5:59]
Ermanno WOLF-FERRARI (1876-1948)
Overture to 'La Dama Boba' [8:10]
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
Intermezzo (from: Suor Angelica) [3:36]
Umberto GIORDANO (1867-1948)
Prelude to Act II of 'Siberia' [3:59]
Amilcare PONCHIELLI (1834-1886)
Dance of the Hours (from: La Gioconda) [8:54]
Pietro MASCAGNI (1863-1945)
Intermezzo (from: L'Amico Fritz) [4:53]
