Composer: Nino Rota
Performer: Barry Douglas, Davide Botto
Orchestra: Filarmonica ’900 del Teatro Regio
Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Release: 2011
Size: 0.99 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Concerto soiree
01. I. Walzer-Fantasia
02. II. Ballo figurato
03. III. Romanza
04. IV. Quadriglia
05. V. Can-can
Divertimento concertante for double-bass and orchestra
06. I. Allegro – Allegro maestoso
07. II. Marcia: Alla marcia, allegramente
08. III. Aria: Andante
09. IV. Finale: Allegro marcato
Symphony No. 3 in C major
10. I. Allegro
11. II. Adagio con moto
12. III. Allegretto mosso
13. IV. Vivace con spirito
The abundant concert works of Italian composer Nino Rota continue to surface in recordings, many on major labels. Doubtless this is partly because Rota carries marquee value from his association with the Godfather films, but his music, although surely a mixed bag, is often just plain fun. You can break it down into three general categories, which don’t necessarily correspond to individual works but are heard in combination. First is the group of marvelously cinematic tunes that make this release of interest to the still-numerous fans of Rota’s film music; the Concerto Soirée for piano and orchestra offers a generous selection. Second, Rota made various attempts to master styles from the straight classical sphere. He avoided modernist idioms, but the Symphony No. 3 in C major, composed in 1956, is a competent essay in French-style neo-classicism in its outer movements. Finally there are pieces that show a style that’s distinctively Rota’s, and these are the best of all. Sample the gorgeously lyrical but not all sentimental slow movement of the Symphony No. 3 (track 11) or the witty Divertimento concertante for double bass and orchestra, whose interplay between the solo instruments and the orchestral brasses reveals a humor different from the light melodies in Rota’s film scores. Nothing here is groundbreaking, but conductor Gianandrea Noseda and the Filarmonica ‘900 del Teatro Regio, Turin, with Irish pianist Barry Douglas in the Concerto Soirée, deliver vigorous renditions in keeping with the spirit of the music. Recommended especially for film music fans.