Intrada Soundtrack Forum

May 07, 2002

Concertos
Composed by Nino Rota Conducted by Marzio Conti
I Virtuosi Italiani
Chandos CHAN 9954
Tracks: 10 Time = 61:52

Four expressive works for soloist, orchestra. Concertos.

Winds are front and center. Three works showcase bassoon, French horn, trombone. A fourth lets harp steal the stage but winds remain prominent.

Nino Rota remains unique amongst numerous 20th century composers. He had thorough training, later taught others, wrote for orchestra, opera, soloists. He kept his feet in 19th century idioms, showed little inclination towards the avant-garde, yet colored his work with harmonies both pleasant and dissonant. He was nimble with popular melody yet able to structure music with the best symphonists.

Not a modernist in the concert hall, Rota’s triumph was some of the most innovative film scoring of all time.

His music for Federico Fellini movies from the fifties and sixties remain some of the most striking in cinema. They’re popular to this day.

Chandos premieres two concert works, lets the others sound anew.

While all four works feature a soloist, Rota’s orchestra never hides in the background. He allows soloist and ensemble to merge. Featured players introduce ideas, orchestra elaborates. Orchestra says something, soloist elaborates. They collaborate.

The album’s opener is also the album’s highlight. CONCERTO FOR HARP AND ORCHESTRA dates from 1947. Three movements last nearly 21 minutes. Rota emphasizes harp in expressive mode. Opening in major, a playful tune immediately monkeys with minor harmonies. Brass and strings toss the figure about. Rota uses harp like one of his winds, allowing single lines to develop. Arpeggios, glissandos, usual harp cliches are absent. Forward motion remains as soloist (Luisa Prandina) and orchestra trade quotes of the opening motif. A gorgeous solo passage allows harpist to finally roll with shimmering effects. Soon the opening motif returns on trumpet, flute, piccolo, horn, finally strings.

The slow movement opens with a striking unison line for harp, strings. Again, expressive qualities of harp are examined. Melodic interest is rich, harmonies sad. It’s a haunting segment. Harp trades with solo cello. Distant fanfares from trumpet, horn, later trombone add melancholy.

Rich chordal passages combining soloist and orchestra highlight the finale. A harp cadenza features dazzling glissandi, rolling effects, yet maintains melodic interest throughout. A beautiful final movement.

The CONCERTO FOR BASSOON AND ORCHESTRA comes from 1974-1977, lasts seventeen minutes.

Structure is unusual. Opening toccata, brief recitativo, lengthy theme and variations. Soloist (Paolo Carlini) introduces ideas, piano and winds elaborate. While considerable demands for nimble playing are made, Rota keeps the bassoon in comfortable registers. The recitativo widens the range, decreases the pace. Strings and bassoon share melodic interest.

Horn and strings open the finale, introduce a winding tune. Bassoon enters, elaborates. Rota uses the waltz, polka, scherzo and other forms to develop the tune. Styles change, the melody becomes masked completely. As with the opening, incredibly nimble playing is required from soloist.

Interestingly, harp figures open the ballad for horn and orchestra, CASTEL DEL MONTE. It too is a world premiere, comes from 1974, stays for ten minutes. Over minor chords, soloist (Guido Corti) introduces an ascending three-note motif that drives the entire one-movement piece. Oboe takes up the idea, strings follow. Horn plays a melodic variant, strings elaborate. Rapid figures highlight the central portion of the work. Horn and orchestra trade quotes, struggle for supremacy. Neither win. Eventually oboe brings back the opening motif over harp. In a brilliant stroke, horn refuses to elaborate the motif, instead reminds us of the rapid material from the middle.

Ultimately horn returns to the main idea.

Rota places some demand on range but generally keeps his soloist comfortably within mid to upper registers.

The CONCERTO FOR TROMBONE AND ORCHESTRA comes from 1966. Three movements run thirteen minutes. This work follows traditional concerto form but stands out dramatically from the other works on this album. Here, Rota places incredible demands on his soloist (Andrea Conti) in terms of range. Upper register. At points during the middle movement trombone imitates trumpet. High notes aren’t just touched upon but are part of the melodic line itself. A degree of tension results.

Mid to upper resister is highlighted throughout all three movements. Opening and closing sections have some technical razzle-dazzle, the middle one gets the range. The piece closes with some splashy derring-do.

The recording was made in November of 2000. It’s terrific. Engineer Marco Lincetto manages to keep track of orchestra and soloists, lets both shine. Rota’s concerto for bassoon is particularly well orchestrated, allowing unique double-reed sounds to mingle with an array of other woodwind colors. It sounds great here.

A lot of great composers known for their movie work also wrote prolifically for the concert hall. Rozsa, Herrmann, Waxman, Korngold, Frankel, Arnold, Gold, Moross, Alwyn pop into mind. They managed to create symphonies, concertos and whatnot between movie assignments. Several important 20th century classical composers managed some great movie music too. Copland, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Shostakovich, Honegger.

Composing for both movies and concerts now appears to be a lost art. Only John Williams, Elliot Goldenthal and Philip Glass maintain significant dual careers. Schifrin, Goldsmith, Broughton have all written pieces for the concert hall. But few movie composers today seem poised to challenge Malcolm Arnold’s complete cycle of nine symphonies!

Nino Rota comes from the first group.

You’ve heard JULIET OF THE SPIRITS and LA DOLCE VITA and THE GODFATHER.

Now enjoy Nino Rota’s other side.

May 14, 2002

Legend
Composed and Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith
National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
Silva America SSD 1138
Tracks: 14 Time = 70:50

Ridley Scott’s visionary look at a world of unicorns and goblins makes it to British theaters at the end of 1985. What started out as a movie running more than two hours becomes something running around an hour and a half. No one is happy.

Except soundtrack fans. Jerry Goldsmith spins a masterpiece.

But there’s molasses with the honey.

Filmtrax issues an LP with appalling quality. Unattractive jacket artwork, incredibly noisy pressings. Goldsmith’s intricate, mesmerizing music is sandwiched between layers of noise and neglect.

Neglect is a keyword here. Not only is much of Goldsmith’s work truncated in the movie, much of it is truncated on the record, too. Virtually no notes accompany the album’s release. Making matters most unpleasant, Goldsmith’s entire score is dropped from the American release of the movie. Mellow pop strains by Tangerine Dream are used instead.

Shining some light, a CD appears. Filmtrax retains the dull artwork, continues without sleeve notes. But the noisy vinyl is replaced with a pristine CD. If only the truncated contents had been addressed.

Fast forward to 1993. Silva Screen issues an expanded edition of the Goldsmith score in new packaging. Better sound, better artwork.

But American listeners are still saddled with the Tangerine Dream score. Goldsmith’s music is still only available to audiences outside of the U.S.

It’s 2002. Silva America issues the Goldsmith score to local fans at last. A “director’s cutâ€