Search - BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska :: Pizzetti: Rondo Venezia / Preludio a un altro giorno / Tri Preludii Sinonici (per L'Edipo Re) / La Pisanella (Orchestral Works) - BBC Scottish Symphony

A Beautiful Collection

D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 10/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To suggest that the music of Iidebrando Pizzetti (1880 - 1968) is like Respighi and Debussy comes close to the mark in giving an idea of what this music sounds like, but Pizzetti has an individual voice in his compositions. Unfortunately, Pizzetti, and the entire generation of Italian composers to which he belongs, has been neglected outside his native Italy. His music is highly descriptive. The Rondo Veneziano (1929) is a depiction of Venice, a very colorful work in three sections. This is a tuneful work that was inspired by many popular Italian tunes reflecting the character of Venice. The Tre Preludii Sinfonici are mood pictures describing the action in the play Oedipus the King. The opening prelude is somber, befitting the drama of the play, the second is a depiction of Oedipus' meeting with the Sphinx and the solving of the riddle and the final section marks the high point of the drama when Oedipus discovers the truth about who he is and what he has done. La Pisanella consists of music composed for a dramatic poem by Gabriele d'Annunzio. It was first performed in Paris in 1913, shortly after Stravinsky rocked the music world with Le sacre du printemps. It was a popular work from the beginning, and the music was arranged into the five-movement suite recorded here. The Preludio ad un altro giorno is the latest work on this disc (composed in 1952). It has a somber character, for me somewhat like Samuel Barber's "Music for a Scene from Shelly," but this work alternates to heroic themes rather than maintaining a consistently tragic character. The BBC Scottish Symphony are superbly conducted by Osmo Vanska, and the recorded sound is magnificent. In sum, this is a highly interesting disc that lovers of Italian music should find very satisfying"

Absolute stunning perfumed music

Charles Voogd | Underwaterland | 07/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you love Respighi, buy this one. If you love Debussy, buy it. If you care for more recordings of rare, but great, orchestral repertoire, buy it. And if you do, buy the Marco Polo Pizzetti disc also."