Nino Rota: Concerto for Strings; "La Strada" Suite; Dances from "Il Gattopardo"

The other side of Nino Rota...

These works are the result of Rota's mature 1960s writing style. He was at the peak of his popularity and decided to cut down on his film score output,(He was at that point producing 10 a year)devoting more time to "other" music. Inspired by Fellini's 1954 film "La Strada" he was commissioned by La Scala for a 1966 ballet by the same name. It utilizes themes from "La Strada" among others from Rota-Fellini collaborations. The melodic score was well received by the public. The themes are allowed to be fleshed out and blossom without the film action to impede them.
The String concerto(1967)is in four movements rooted by the 19th Century classical style. Soothing melodic gifts are displayed throughout, though none are borrowed from his films. The spirited finale galop requires keen virtuosity from the orchestra. 1963's Viscoti's "The Leopard" comprises of six short dances again in the late 19th Century tradition. One dance orchestrated by Rota was an unpublished waltz by Verdi. They were combined for a party scene in which all elements of the story converged. Muti and his della Scala orch. play with affection, not overdone by the SONY hidef sound. This disc is indispensible for the most devoted Rota audiophile. June 26, 2007

ROTA RARITIES

When Nino Rota (1911-1979) decided to wean himself away from composing primarily for film, he did so gingerly--- with one foot in, one foot out, as the present assortment of esoteric compositions on this disc shows.

From Fellini's 1954 film, comes Rota's own ballet suite, La Strada, commissioned by La Scala (and staged in 1966), running some twenty-eight minutes in seven delightful and captivating tableaux. The Concerto For Strings (1964-65; rev. 1977) is similarly ingenious, tipping its hat, as it were, to baroque form (much in the same manner as Bloch does in his own Concerti Grossi). The Concerto is a fairly gentle, graceful work, exceptionally pleasing and well-designed, but seems a tease too short at only a mere fifteen or so minutes. The Dances for Visconti's film The Leopard (1963) were intended to punctuate an extended set piece revolving around a ballroom affair, dancing, intrigue; but even when extracted from the film, they are still nothing less than completely enchanting works.

Muti and the La Scala Philharmonic are in their element here; the delight is contagious, and the sound they make is beautiful, with a good, full recording to match.

[Running time: 61:59] December 27, 2000

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