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Brilliant Classics

Cilea: Concertante Suites / Arlia, Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala

$14.99

Details

Composer
Francesco Cilea
Artist
Massimo Quarta, Enrico Bronzi, I Virtuosi del Teatro alla Scala
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
Sep 06, 2024
Catalog #
BRI96761
UPC
5028421967615

About

First recordings of unpublished instrumental works by a master of verismo. Several recent albums on Brilliant Classics have expanded our understanding of Francesco Cilea beyond his status as the composer of L'Arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur. His piano music, chamber music and songs all bear witness to a quintessentially Italian voice and aesthetic philosophy. Cilea abandoned writing for the stage after the failure of his opera Gloria in 1907, despite the presence of Toscanini in the pit, and his lyric gifts cut against the grain of the prevailing trends of modernism. He turned to teaching, but he did not entirely abandon composition. Instead, he turned back to instrumental music, and the works on this album are among the fruits of this revived inspiration. Apart from Cilea's celebrated melodic vein, the Suite for Violin and the Piccola Suite for Orchestra reveal his (perhaps un-Italian) talent for counterpoint, as well as an approach to tonal harmony that reflects his awareness of innovation, especially among French composers of the period. Cilea orchestrated the Suite in 1946 from his Suite for violin and piano of nine years earlier. The four brief movements are cast in a neoclassical vein, enclosing an elegant minuet followed by an Andante sostenuto in the very un-classical key of C sharp minor. The Piccola Suite (1931) more thoroughly absorbs the idioms of French music of the period such as the early works of Messiaen, with it's modal harmony, whole-tone scales and sequences of seventh and ninth chords: again, far from what we would expect from the composer of Adriana Lecouvreur. The arrangement, revision and scoring of the Concerto in D major for cello by Leonardo Leo (written in 1737) bears witness to Cilea's deep connection with the Conservatoire in Naples where he had studied and where he became director until his retirement in 1935. It's generous orchestration, and yet respect for the 18th-century idiom of the writing, makes an intriguing and almost unknown parallel to the Cello Concerto in D recomposed by Schoenberg in 1931 after a 1746 work by Georg Matthias Monn. Completing this unique survey of Cilea's output is a modern work, the first recording of the Canto dell'amore by Raffaele Cacciola, born in 1965. The style of this sinfonia concertante in all but name is a homage to the example of Cilea: tonally unpredictable, yet always melodic. These Milanese musicians draw out it's intrinsically Italian character in the tradition of Cilea's verismo. - Italian composer Francesco Cilea (1866-1950) is best known for his operas, particularly "Adriana Lecouvreur." However, his contributions to instrumental music should not be overlooked. Though less renowned than his operatic output, Cilea's instrumental works exhibit a melodic richness and emotional depth characteristic of the Romantic era. - Cilea's orchestral works show his mastery of lyrical themes and dramatic expression. His works are imbued with a sense of Italianate warmth and passion, reflecting the composer's deep connection to his native land. - This new recording presents the Suite for Violin & Orchestra, Il Canto dell'Amore, Cilea's arrangement of a Cello Concerto by Leonardo Leo and the Piccola Suite for Cello & Orchestra. - Played by one of the foremost cellists of Italy, Enrico Bronzi, violinist Massimo Quarta, and the Virtuosi Della Scala, conducted by Filippo Arlia.

Tracklist 12 tracks

  1. 1 I. Andante appassionato 03:39
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Andante appassionato
    Duration
    03:39
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Massimo Quarta
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  2. 2 II. Tempo di minuetto (Allegretto) 01:40
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Tempo di minuetto (Allegretto)
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Massimo Quarta
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  3. 3 III. Andante sostenuto 03:58
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Andante sostenuto
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Massimo Quarta
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  4. 4 IV. Allegro 02:48
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    02:48
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Massimo Quarta
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  5. 5 Il Canto Dell' Amore (version for soloists and string orchestra)orchestra) 04:12
    Track
    5
    Title
    Il Canto Dell' Amore (version for soloists and string orchestra)orchestra)
    Duration
    04:12
    Composer
    Raffaele Cacciola
    Performer
    Massimo Quarta, Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  6. 6 I. Andante sostenuto e grazioso 04:06
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Andante sostenuto e grazioso
    Duration
    04:06
    Composer
    Leonardo Leo
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  7. 7 II. Larghetto, con poco modo 03:57
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Larghetto, con poco modo
    Duration
    03:57
    Composer
    Leonardo Leo
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  8. 8 III. Allegro con bravura 02:41
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Allegro con bravura
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Leonardo Leo
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  9. 9 Introduzione alla danza 01:58
    Track
    9
    Title
    Introduzione alla danza
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  10. 10 I. Danza moderato 04:30
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Danza moderato
    Duration
    04:30
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  11. 11 II. Notturnino andante sostenuto 05:20
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Notturnino andante sostenuto
    Duration
    05:20
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia
  12. 12 III. Alla marcia allegro giusto 05:34
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Alla marcia allegro giusto
    Duration
    05:34
    Composer
    Francesco Cilea
    Performer
    Enrico Bronzi
    Ensemble
    Virtuosi del Teatro Alla Scala
    Conductor
    Filippo Arlia