Nino Rota - Sonatas; Trios (Ensemble Nino Rota)

Information

Composer: Nino Rota

• Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano
• Sonata for Viola and Piano
• Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano
• Sonata for Violin and Piano

Ensemble Nino Rota

    Paolo Ferrigato, flute

    Paolo Beltramini, clarinet

    Suela Mullaj, violin & viola

    Cecilia Radic, cello

    Massimo Palumbo, piano

Date: 2000

Label: Chandos

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Review

The one predictable element in Nino Rota’s chamber music is its melodic appeal, though I suppose you’d expect at least that much of a composer whose output includes numerous distinctive film scores. Here, the most ‘difficult’ piece is the lively Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano of 1958, neo-classical in style (the finale’s piano opening bars momentarily recall Mendelssohn’s E minor Scherzo – Trois fantaisies, Op 16) but with a mildly acerbic edge to its harmonic writing. It’s the most frequently recorded of Rota’s chamber works and the one piece in this particular programme that spells ‘nearly new’.

Rota composed the Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano six years before his death in 1979. Listen out for an unexpected sequence of quasi- Wagnerian modulations that set in a minute or so after the work has begun (the finale enjoys parallel rapture). This is the Rota of the film world, though elsewhere the style is more reminiscent of Poulenc or Prokofiev.

By contrast, Brahms takes the lead for the 1935 Viola Sonata, both in terms of winding melodies and the mellow complexion of Rota’s piano writing. The Violin Sonata from 1937 is filled with Southern warmth and has an amiable Allegro assai moderato follow-on from the slow movement without a break.

Massimo Palumbo’s recently formed Ensemble Nino Rota plays well throughout, with Suela Mullaj alternating on violin and viola (I’ve rarely heard a more viola-like violin tone). But the star performer of the team is unquestionably Palumbo himself, a discreet player whose sense of pianistic colour is a joy to behold. The recordings are close but clear, the annotation (Palumbo again) extremely informative, and the ‘bottom line’ of this release, musically speaking, is quietly original, easy on the ear and especially valuable for small chamber groups who seek to supplement their repertoires with accessible but unfamiliar material.

— Rob Cowan

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Nino Rota (3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and educator, internationally acclaimed for his film scores. He is best known for his collaborations with Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti, as well as for scoring The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, the latter earning him an Academy Award. Over a 46-year career, Rota composed more than 150 film scores, in addition to operas, ballets, orchestral and chamber works, including a notable concerto for strings. He also wrote music for theatre and served for nearly three decades as director of the Liceo Musicale in Bari.

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Massimo Palumbo (born 21 December 1965 in Milan) is an Italian pianist and conductor. He graduated from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, and later pursued composition and conducting, including studies with Charles Mackerras in London. He refined his artistry with renowned musicians such as Martha Argerich and won several international competitions. Palumbo has performed and conducted with major European orchestras and has served as Artistic Director of the United Europe Chamber Orchestra since 2000. He has recorded over 60 albums and received multiple national awards from Italian music critics.

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