Nino Rota (1911-79) will probably always be known as the composer of music to The Godfather (1971) and to the earlier Italian film masterpiece, La dolce vita (1963). That will be a shame because, as this disc demonstrates, Rota was highly inventive and actually had mastered all the "schools" of 20th century music, from neoromanticism to postmodernism--particularly the trends that infected Italian composers (everyone except Respighi). You'll find much evidence of the easy-going romantic in these chamber works, with hints here and there of Rota's grasp of non-traditional modes of expression bordering on atonality. One such work is the wonderful Trio for Flute, Violin, and Piano (1958), a playful piece that pushes the flute into realms previously trod only by Toru Takemitsu. In fact, while all the works on this release have traditional trio and sonata structures that pre-date Mozart, Rota always conjures a 20th century uneasiness as well as moments of extreme beauty where a solo instrument will simply "sing" on its own, as the viola does in the Sonata for Viola and Piano of 1935. The Ensemble Nino Rota has clearly mastered the music of its namesake and the Chandos sound has never sounded fuller or more intimate.

--Paul Cook