A belated thank you for your support, Antonio.

Friday, December 29, 2017

Nino Rota - Concertos (Various Artists)


Information

Composer: Nino Rota
  1. Harp Concerto: I. Allegro moderato
  2. Harp Concerto: II. Andante
  3. Harp Concerto: III. Allegro
  4. Bassoon Concerto: I. Toccata. Allegretto vivace
  5. Bassoon Concerto: II. Recitativo. Lento
  6. Bassoon Concerto: III. Tema e Variazioni
  7. Castel del Monte, Ballad for Horn and Orchestra
  8. Trombone Concerto: I. Allegro giusto
  9. Trombone Concerto: II. Lento, ben ritmato
  10. Trombone Concerto: III. Allegro moderato

Luisa Prandina, harp
Paolo Carlini, bassoon
Guido Corti, horn
Andrea Conti, trombone

I Virtuosi Italiani
Marzio Conti, conductor

Date: 2002
Label: Chandos
https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%209954

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Review

Genial and tuneful music well­performed

Because I enjoy his film music so much‚ his de­ lightful comic opera The Italian Straw Hat even more‚ I felt rather mean at disparaging Nino Rota’s two cello concertos (10/01). Here‚ however‚ in four concertante works only one of which has been recorded before (the Trombone Concerto – by both Claves and BIS)‚ is a sort of catalogue of all his virtues. Tunefulness first and foremost: the theme of the Bassoon Concerto’s variation finale is not only ideal for its purpose (how effortlessly it becomes a jolly waltz‚ a rather Jean Françaix­style polka and so on) but a real and memorable tune‚ graceful and amiable: if he’d used it in one of his film scores we’d all know it and sing along with it. Secondly a style that is basically neo­classical but always elegantly fresh: there is nothing in the least crabbed or dusty to the Harp Concerto‚ which could easily be described‚ but undervalued in the process‚ as a latter­day Brandenburg Concerto. And in its central slow movement there is another of Rota’s trademarks: the use of extraneous material (in this case fanfares‚ or rather bugle­calls‚ from trumpet and horn) to unexpectedly poetic effect.

Rota’s melodic gift is again strikingly heard in Castel del Monte‚ which he calls a ‘ballad for horn and orchestra’: its opening idea is basically no more than a series of three­note figures‚ but they add up to a tune of some nobility. And I have not yet mentioned his geniality‚ heard in the way that he allows other instruments to become subsidiary soloists in all four pieces but also in the sheer good humour that has the last word even in the rather formidable Trombone Concerto‚ with itsdramatic central lento. All four soloists seemaffectionately grateful for Rota’s always idiomatic lines; orchestra and conductor are alert‚ light on their feet and very cleanly recorded. Light music‚ nearly all of it‚ but of the most superior andentertaining kind.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/May02/Rota_concertos.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/c/cha09954a.php
https://www.amazon.com/Nino-Rota-Concertos/dp/B000063BI8

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Giovanni "Nino" Rota (3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores. During his long career Rota was an extraordinarily prolific composer, especially of music for the cinema. He wrote more than 150 scores for Italian and international productions from the 1930s until his death in 1979, and was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974). Alongside this great body of film work, he composed ten operas, five ballets and dozens of other orchestral, choral and chamber works, the best known being his string concerto.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Rota

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FLAC, tracks
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Enjoy!

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for all the efforts that you have taken to share your love music with us during 2017 - it is particulary appreciated.

    It takes a lot of effort to organise a blog and I am very much aware that for all your energies very few people express their thanks for what you do. Most unrewarding.

    Do hope that you are enjoying the end of 2017 festivities and that we can look forward to more correspondence from you in 2018.

    All the very best and good health in 2018.

    Thank you and cheers,

    Douglas (UK)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are very kind words. Thank you very much and Happy new year!

      Delete
  3. I want to thank you very much for the wonderful works of Nino Rota. I downloaded four of them today!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. gracias por tu generosidad y por la bella música de tu blog, ronal do
    todo lo mejor para tí

    ReplyDelete
  6. Por favor, renueve los links. Gracias

    ReplyDelete
  7. Choose one link, copy and paste it to your browser's address bar, wait a few seconds (you may need to click 'Continue' first), then click 'Free Access with Ads' / 'Get link'. Complete the steps / captchas if require.
    Guide for Linkvertise: 'Free Access with Ads' --> 'I'm interested' --> 'Install and Open ...', but quickly cancel the software download, then wait for a few seconds --> 'Get Website'

    https://direct-link.net/610926/rota-concertos
    or
    https://uii.io/QNydd8
    or
    https://exe.io/pxh4Kjs

    ReplyDelete