Alfredo Casella
Sinfonia per orchestra; Italia
WDR Symphony Orchestra (Cologne)
Alun Francis (2 CDs)
Alfredo Casella’s Sinfonia is actually his Third Symphony.
It was written in 1939-40 for the Chicago Symphony, enjoyed a highly
successful premiere, then vanished along with the composer’s reputation in the
political fallout following World War II. Like so many Italian composers of his
generation, Casella was sympathetic to Mussolini’s government, which went out
of its way to patronize (and co-opt) the arts. It didn’t seem to hurt Respighi
— but then he had Toscanini on his side and the good fortune to die in 1936,
whereas Casella made it until 1947.
Be that as it may, Casella was a finer composer than Respighi, by and large, and
certainly a more interesting one. His Sinfonia is a magnificent work. Although
it employs traditional forms, it doesn’t sound even remotely like anyone else,
particularly in regard to its melodic idiom, which is at once modern/tonal but
remarkably personal. Brilliantly scored, atmospheric, and finely wrought, it
should be at least as popular as, say, Shostakovich of the same period, and
it’s easily the finest twentieth-century symphony by an Italian composer. This
performance does it full justice, being very well played and naturally
recorded. Conductor Alun Francis deserves a great deal of credit for delivering
such a convincing performance of a complex, unfamiliar work that hopefully will
make its way back into the repertoire.
- David Hurwitz
