Nino Rota: Symphonies Nos. 1 + 2
Filarmonica ‘900 del Teatro Regio di Torino;
Marzio Conti, conductor
Chandos
Nino Rota is best known for his prolific film scores, but his concert music is finally winning enthusiasts. Rota’s first two symphonies (he wrote three) were completed in
1939, the year World War II began. But despite darker moments, they are
sun-drenched, cheerfully accessible pieces occupying the border between
neo-classical and Romantic styles. A French influence is evident, with
suggestions of Debussy, Poulenc and Massenet. The pastoral First Symphony
evokes a bucolic countryside and village fêtes, though its Andante might be
characterized as “troubled pastoralism.” It begins with a Mahlerian horn call
over gently murmuring strings, moves on to a lullaby-like episode, and later
enters a middle section whose brass and wind chorale hint at darker corners.
The Second Symphony is cut from the same fabric, its four movements ranging
from an evocative Allegro tranquillo to a folkish, tarantella-suffused second
movement to an austere, sometimes brooding slow movement and a rocking final
Allegro vivace. These are lovely works whose rhythmic variety, sensuous orchestration
and attractive melodies make for rewarding listening. The Turin orchestra, led
by conductor Conti, plays with affection, the winds shining brightly as a group
and in individual solo turns.
- Don Davis
