Elisabetta Brusa - Symphony No. 1; Merlin (Daniele Rustioni)

Information

Composer: Elisabetta Brusa

• Symphony No. 1, Op. 10
• Symphonic Poem "Merlin", Op. 20

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Daniele Rustioni, conductor

Date: 2015

Label: Naxos

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Review

Thirteen years ago Naxos issued two discs of music by the major Italian composer, Elisabetta Brusa, when I describe them as ‘Lutosławski without the catchy tunes’. Born in Italy in 1954, Brusa was educated at the Milan Conservatorio, furthering her compositional studies in England and the USA where she was then to spend much of her time. Composing almost exclusively for orchestra, her music has been performed in many parts of the world, and since 1980 she has shared her time between composition and teaching at the Milan Conservatorio. For the First Symphony, completed in 1990, I would now have to add that the orchestration recalls Shostakovitch’s Fourth Symphony, the pungency contained within the general realms of tonality, and while the first movement conveys both weight and impact, it often gives way to sections of tender lyrical beauty. Largely revolving around the following Adagio, which stylistically turns the clock back a generation, its quiet nature is interrupted by one climatic moment. The scherzo is qualified by the tempo marking ‘moderato’, the jagged rhythms emphasised by timpani, its mood of latent energy continuing into a finale that drives forward to a noisy and hectic conclusion. Merlin, completed in 2004, is a graphic picture of the mythical person, full of primary orchestral colours, and if you, for instance, enjoy Sallinen’s music you will certainly enjoy this. For the Scottish orchestra the whole disc must have been a challenge, yet, under the much acclaimed young Italian conductor, Daniele Rustioni, they provide the security, passion and commitment for which they have become known. The recording is from the premiere league, and I much commend the disc to you.

— David Denton

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Elisabetta Brusa (born 1954 in Milan) is an Italian-British composer. A graduate of the Milan Conservatory, she later studied in England with Peter Maxwell Davies and Hans Keller. She won First Prize at the 1982 Washington International Competition for Composition and received fellowships from the Fromm Music Foundation and the Fulbright Commission to study at Tanglewood. From 1988 to 1990, she was a resident at the MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her First Symphony. Brusa taught composition and orchestration at the Milan Conservatory (1985–2018). Naxos has released five volumes of her music.

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Daniele Rustioni (born 18 April 1983 in Milan) is an Italian conductor known. A graduate of the Milan Conservatory and London's Royal Academy of Music, he began at Teatro alla Scala's children's chorus and has since held major posts, including Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon and the Ulster Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony. Honored as "Best Conductor" at the 2022 International Opera Awards, he has led over 70 operas worldwide. In 2024, France named him Chevalier des Arts et Lettres for his cultural achievements.

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