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Track Listings
| 1. Orchestral Works, Volume 2 |
| 2. Concerto for Orchestra |
| 3. A notte alta |
| 4. Suites Nos 1 and 2 from La donna serpente - Martin Roscoe/BBC Philharmonic Orchestra |
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Review
At its heart, A notte alta is an autobiographical musical poem that was inspired by his affair with student Yvonne Müller, who was the dedicatee and became his second wife. Personal experience surely tells on this music. It opens "on a winter's night, clear and cold, glacially insensible to human suffering," to quote the composer. The couple are represented by dominant and decorative themes clearly delineated on piano by Martin Roscoe, the nocturnal atmosphere and florescent scoring caught in a crystal clear recording. After the turbulent climax, with the winter night music restored, four cellos add a note of sorrow, suggesting the scene is no longer in the state previously outlined by its composer.
The Concerto for Orchestra of 1938 was written to mark the 50th anniversary of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. A most appealing work, it is rigorously constructed and, as ever with Casella, brilliantly orchestrated. The first movement is vigorous and tender in turn with the second subject sweetly sung on strings, later by trumpet. An imposing Passacaglia follows where the big climax and descent into a set of magical variations is handled by Noseda with a sure touch, while the extrovert and tuneful finale befits the celebratory occasion.
Like many a composer faced with an operatic flop, Casella put together two series of Symphonic Fragments from 'La donna serpente' (The Serpent Woman), an opera that includes a heroic rescue and magic elements comparable to Mozart's The Magic Flute. A lovely Berceuse underlines the dream of King Altidor, and the noble Prelude to Act 3 movingly portrays his situation and that of his Queen, who has been turned into a serpent. In the concluding Battaglia (Battle), Casella's flamboyant music foreshadows the widescreen epics of Miklós Rózsa. For anyone inquisitive about what happened to Italian music after the death of Puccini, these forthright performances with all musicians on top form come thoroughly recommended.
--Garry Mulholland
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Customer Reviews
It won’t surprise that such a neglected composer could sound so derivative but that’s no reason to dismiss it. Few composers work in isolation and are inevitably influenced by others. It usually comes down to whose works are the best in whatever style. That’s where the neglect looks criminal here: the Concerto for Orchestra is a work of some brilliance with a stunning opening movement that is clearly influenced by Hindemith and Martinu perhaps. It’s a movement that displays great mastery of orchestra and structure. What is striking is how similar it sounds like early Tippett at his most exuberant. Add to this, snatches of yearning lyricism that look back to Casella’s love of Mahler and it’s a heady mix.
The following passacaglia after reaching a climax perhaps lasts a little too long but the dancing, neo baroque finale brings the piece to a rousing conclusion. The piece was written shortly before his excellent Third Symphony. Whilst they share much stylistically the Concerto sticks to Neo baroque / Classical models whilst the symphony combines stretches of Prokofiev like neo classicism with more expansive Mahlerian stretches: it’s almost a collage of styles.
After the superb and exuberant concerto comes the most dramatic contrast and a fine piece of programming by Chandos. “La Notte Alta” (The Deepest Night) is a heady perfumed mix that bears some resemblance to Szymanowski’s “Song of the Night”, albeit in a more subtle and understated way.... Read more ›
We have now the first recording of another extraordinary work, the Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 61. I only cite the opus number for its proximity to the Sinfonia. Written the same year as Hindemith's work, it does not really bear any of his influence. In fact, apart from fleeting glimmers of Honegger and Martinu, both of whom were contemporaries of Casella when he lived in Paris, this fierce statement does not seem redolent of a particular musical influence. It is both fiery and grave, but not meditative.
While not programmatic in nature, the meeting of forbidden lovers in A Notte Alta (just as in Verklarte Nacht) lies beneath this score. It harkens back to Expressionism: the music is decadent, sensual, and mysterious. The piano delineates the two lovers. This work is much more effectively conveyed than its equivalent on Naxos.
The Symphonic Fragments from Casella's opera "La Donna Serpente" are indeed programmatic. This fantasy concerns a cursed princess who is turned into a snake. The music is pleasurable, if forgettable.
It goes without saying that Noseda's conducting is faultless and the recording phenomenal. If any "label" can bring Casella into the mainstream of 20th Century composers, it is Chandos.
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