Alfredo Casella - Notte di maggio; Cello Concerto (Francesco La Vecchia)

Information

Composer: Alfredo Casella

• Notte di maggio, Op. 20
• Cello Concerto, Op. 58
• Scarlattiana, Op. 44

Olivia Andreini, mezzo-soprano

Andrea Noferini, cello

Sun Hee You, piano

Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma

Francesco La Vecchia, conductor

Date: 2010

Label: Naxos

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Review

Notte di maggio is a gorgeous, impressionistic tone poem for voice and orchestra dating from 1913, making it one of Alfredo Casella’s early works. Full of yummy, non-functional harmony, it exudes atmosphere. Olivia Andreini has an attractive timbre that wobbles on most sustained notes, making the work less appealing than it ought to be, but she never turns downright irritating. The work itself, in any case, is consistently fascinating, and the rest of the program is splendid too.

The Cello Concerto is one of Casella’s late pieces, vaguely neo-classical in outline but wholly original melodically and harmonically. Its slow movement is curiously compelling, while the finale, which the composer described as sort of a cello version of “The Flight of the Bumblebee”, lives up to its billing in this virtuoso performance by cellist Andrea Noferini.

Scarlattiana, for piano and orchestra, remains one of Casella’s most popular works, for obvious reasons. The music is scintillating and full of fun, the piano writing brilliant but never facile. With five movements lasting about half an hour, the piece really is a major piano concerto, and while it has been lucky on disc, it ought to be played live more often. Sun Hee You handles the solo part with complete confidence, and as with the other discs in this series, the Rome Symphony Orchestra under Francesco La Vecchia plays the music with the kind of uninhibited enthusiasm that it needs. A beautiful disc, and one that collectors should snap up without delay.

— David Hurwitz

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Alfredo Casella (25 July 1883 – 5 March 1947) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. He studied in Paris under Louis Diémer and Gabriel Fauré before returning to Italy in 1914 to teach at the Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. From 1927 to 1929, he served as principal conductor of the Boston Pops. Casella played a key role in reviving interest in Antonio Vivaldi's music, notably through organizing the 1939 Vivaldi Week. A major figure in the Neoclassical revival, his own compositions were deeply influenced by earlier Italian music. His notable works include La Giara, Paganiniana, and concertos for various instruments.

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Francesco La Vecchia (born 10 September 1954 in Rome) is an Italian conductor. He studied with his grandfather, began performing at age nine, and later led the Boccherini Quartet. At 23, he founded the Arts Academy of Rome and started his international recording career at 27. In 2002, he became artistic director and resident conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, leading it to international acclaim with tours across major global cities. La Vecchia has conducted in renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. He has recorded extensively, particularly for Naxos, Brilliant Classics and Sony.

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