Alfredo Casella - Notte di maggio; Cello Concerto (Francesco La Vecchia)

Information

Composer: Alfredo Casella

1. Notte di maggio, Op. 20
2. Cello Concerto, Op. 58: I. Allegro molto vivace -
3. Cello Concerto, Op. 58: II. Largo, grave -
4. Cello Concerto, Op. 58: III. Presto vivacissimo
5. Scarlattiana, Op. 44: I. Sinfonia: Lento, grave - Allegro molto vivace
6. Scarlattiana, Op. 44: II. Minuetto: Allegretto ben moderato e grazioso
7. Scarlattiana, Op. 44: III. Capriccio: Allegro vivacissimo e impetuoso
8. Scarlattiana, Op. 44: IV. Pastorale: Andantino dolcemente mosso
9. Scarlattiana, Op. 44: V. Finale: Lento molto e grave - Presto vivacissimo

Olivia Andreini, mezzo-soprano (1)
Andrea Noferini, cello (2-4)
Sun Hee You, piano (5-9)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma
Francesco La Vecchia, conductor

Date: 2010
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572416

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

Notte di maggio is a gorgeous, impressionistic tone poem for voice and orchestra dating from 1913, making it one of Alfredo Casella’s early works. Full of yummy, non-functional harmony, it exudes atmosphere. Olivia Andreini has an attractive timbre that wobbles on most sustained notes, making the work less appealing than it ought to be, but she never turns downright irritating. The work itself, in any case, is consistently fascinating, and the rest of the program is splendid too.

The Cello Concerto is one of Casella’s late pieces, vaguely neo-classical in outline but wholly original melodically and harmonically. Its slow movement is curiously compelling, while the finale, which the composer described as sort of a cello version of “The Flight of the Bumblebee”, lives up to its billing in this virtuoso performance by cellist Andrea Noferini.

Scarlattiana, for piano and orchestra, remains one of Casella’s most popular works, for obvious reasons. The music is scintillating and full of fun, the piano writing brilliant but never facile. With five movements lasting about half an hour, the piece really is a major piano concerto, and while it has been lucky on disc, it ought to be played live more often. Sun Hee You handles the solo part with complete confidence, and as with the other discs in this series, the Rome Symphony Orchestra under Francesco La Vecchia plays the music with the kind of uninhibited enthusiasm that it needs. A beautiful disc, and one that collectors should snap up without delay.,

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Jan11/casella_CC_8572416.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Mar12/Casella_Notte_8572416.htm
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.572416&languageid=EN

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Alfredo Casella (25 July 1883 in Turin – 5 March 1947 in Rome) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. He entered the Paris Conservatoiry in 1896 to study piano under Louis Diémer and composition under Gabriel Fauré. In this period, Casella developed a deep admiration for Debussy's output, but pursued a more romantic vein in his own writing. His work on Italian Baroque composers put him at the centre of the early 20th Century Neoclassical revival and also deeply influenced his own compositions. The resurrection of Vivaldi's works in the 20th century is mostly thanks to the efforts of Casella.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Casella

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Francesco La Vecchia (born September 10, 1954 in Rome) is an Italian classical conductor. La Vecchia's first instrument was the classical guitar. In 1972, he founded the Boccherini Quintet, and played hundreds of concerts with this ensemble in Europe, America and Asia. He began his career as conductor in 1982, and since then has conducted more than one hundred orchestras around the world. La Vecchia was named artistic and musical director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma in 2002. Specializing in Italian music, he has made dozens of recordings, mostly for the Naxos label.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_La_Vecchia

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