Rota Concerto For Cello and orchestra Nos
Rota’s melodic gift fails him at every turn in these uninspired and uninspiring concertos
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Nino Rota
Label: Chandos
Magazine Review Date: 10/2001
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 50
Catalogue Number: CHAN 9892
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No.1 |
Nino Rota, Composer
(I) Virtuosi Italiani Daniel Boico, Conductor Dmitry Yablonsky, Cello Nino Rota, Composer |
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No.2 |
Nino Rota, Composer
(I) Virtuosi Italiani Daniel Boico, Conductor Dmitry Yablonsky, Cello Nino Rota, Composer |
Author:
Oh dear. When Nino Rota is good he is delightful‚ as in much of his film music and not a few of his concert pieces‚ but his cello concertos must have been written on offdays (which would explain the lack of melodic distinction) or when he was just plain tired: juggling with tiny fragments‚ sequential repetition‚ dutiful variation – all the tricksofthetrade of the hardpressed composer with a looming deadline are here. I suppose the worst moment comes in the Second Concerto where‚ after some interminably dull variations on a not very interesting theme‚ the closing section of the slow movement is based on nothing more than a scale which never ends on the right note and can therefore be repeated endlessly. One hopes to be cheered up by the finale‚ but that too is based on a scale‚ though this time with a twiddle at the end.
The second theme in the finale of the First Concerto is pretty‚ in a lightmusic sort of way‚ and in the Second a single bar of Mozart and a slightly stronger contrasting idea eventually generate an attractive passage of pizzicato but even here there is a great deal of padding. The performances are not bad‚ the recording good‚ but I cannot imagine anyone wanting to hear either of these pieces twice.
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