Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Shakespeare Overtures Vol. 2 (Andrew Penny)

Information

Composer: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

1. As You Like It, Op. 166
2. Il mercante di Venezia (The Merchant of Venice), Op. 76
3. Much Ado about Nothing, Op. 164
4. King John, Op. 111
5. Il racconto d'inverno (The Winter's Tale), Op. 80

West Australian Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Penny, conductor

Date: 2010

Label: Naxos

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Review

This second release in Naxos’ two-disc series of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s complete overtures inspired by various Shakespeare plays fills a serious gap in the catalog. Written largely after the composer (who was Jewish) escaped fascist Italy and subsequently established himself successfully in Hollywood, the music is wonderful. Much of it, naturally, has a “film music” sort of sound, but in these enlightened times there’s no longer anything wrong with that. Castelnuovo-Tedesco called these pieces “overtures”, but they are really closer to symphonic poems or suites, based on particular episodes of each play (and even specific speeches).

As the above list of titles suggests, most of these are comedies, and the music is correspondingly light and tuneful. It’s also very nice to see music inspired by Shakespeare’s less familiar works. The composer does manage to strike a deeper note in The Merchant of Venice, which is also the longest work on the program, and the exuberant scoring for large orchestra is always effective. So are these performances, which are very attractive and confident, particularly given the unfamiliarity of the music (there are several world-premiere recordings made from manuscript copies of the scores). The sonics perhaps could offer a touch more clarity and dynamic range, but they certainly do the music justice. Strongly recommended.

— David Hurwitz

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Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 — 15 March 1968) was an Italian composer. A student of Ildebrando Pizzetti, he gained recognition in the 1920s but was forced to emigrate to the U.S. in 1939 due to Mussolini's anti-Semitic laws. Settling in Hollywood, he composed concertos for piano, violin, cello and guitar, and wrote overtures for 12 Shakespeare plays. He also set Shakespeare's poems and sonnets to music and composed two Shakespearean operas. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's chamber and piano works are noted for their symphonic scope, while his vocal music reflects the melodic tradition of the Italian school.

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Andrew Penny is an English conductor who was born in Hull, England. He entered the Royal Manchester College of Music in 1971 to study the clarinet with Sidney Fell. Subsequently he studied with Sir Charles Groves and Timothy Reynish as a postgraduate, and also with Sir Edward Downes. Since 1982 Penny has been Musical Director of the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra. He has made over 35 recordings for the Naxos and Marco Polo labels since 1992. Much of his repertoire is of British Music and includes symphonies by Sir Malcolm Arnold and Havergal Brian and film music by Vaughan Williams and Walton.

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