These are Nino Rotas’s own piano trancriptions of his film scores that
he used to like to play for his own, and his friends’ amusement, and
sometimes in recitals. A friend of the composer (Rota died in 1979), Piermarco
De Santi, who has contributed the booklet notes, remembers that Rota loved,
especially, his music for the British film, The Glass Mountain,
which was very popular here in the UK in the late 1940s. Rota invariably
ended his recitals with the theme from this romantic film. Massimo Palumbo
includes its grand sweeping cadences in this collection together with the
film’s slow waltz.
This programme includes both music that is familiar and scores that are much
less well-known. Palumbo eschews the over-dramatic approach, more apparent
in the full-blown orchestral versions of many of these scores originally
heard in the theatre. His quieter, more restrained renderings of The
Godfather’s ‘Love Theme’, Waltz and ‘Michael’s
Theme’; and the well-loved themes from Death on the Nile and
Romeo and Juliet allow all their intrinsic beauty to be fully revealed.
Now about the lesser-known scores. Ghosts in Rome, of which I know
nothing, is light-hearted material suggesting these ghosts are harmless and
benign, more interested in having fun than scaring people. The music begins
meditatively, nostalgically then the ghosts begin to dance: first to the
rhythms of the 1920s and 30s with some ghosts a bit leaden-footed, then more
graceful feet take over in a minuet which eventually gives way to a wilder
boogie-woogie. We leave as ‘The ghost knight [has some fun with] the
nurses’ – or is it the nurses having fun with the proud knight?
Luxury Girls appears to be another comedy. Starchy, prim and proper
music for the college and the teachers contrasts with the mischievous pranks
of the girls. ‘Towards College’ includes music in the style of
the minuet and barcarole and the ‘Dance Lesson’ is very much ballet
music – all cheekily lampooned. Obsession (1948), another British
film starring Robert Newton was about a doctor who decides to kill his
wife’s lover by imprisoning him in a lonely cellar while he accumulates
enough acid to destroy all trace of his body. Palumbo plays the melodramatic
music in the late Romantic/gothic tradition, full of intensity and bravura;
the score also includes some passionately romantic material and music that
suggests French folk tunes. The ‘Neapolitan samba’ from Her
Favourite Husband which closes the recital is full of colour and vibrant
rhythms.
Palumbo realises the proud grandeur of the Main Titles music from The
Leopard and gradually builds up to a deeply-felt rendering of the magnificent
sweeping, romantic main theme. 8½, in contrast, is all delicate
fragility while Juliet of the Spirits is all atmosphere and evocation
in ‘Dew on the Frogs, and simple innocence in ‘Nun’s
theatre.’
The short suite from The Taming of the Shrew comprises the genial
‘Sweet Italy’ that includes medieval dance music reminiscent of
Respighi in his Ancient Airs and Dances mode, while ‘Love in
Padua’ slyly suggests early marital strife and the shrewish behaviour
of Kate.
A delightful recital and ideal for late night relaxed listening
Reviewer
Ian Lace
Original scores and
transcriptions played by Massimo Palumbo (piano)
