Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic finally get their collective act together for this splendid CD of Alfredo Casella’s virtually unknown Second Symphony (1910). The obvious comparison will be to Mahler, whose music Casella admired tremendously at this period, and there are points of similarity: the grotesque march that opens the finale, the tolling bells that open the work, the exuberant writing for brass and percussion, and Casella’s willingness to exploit extremes of register. Just as telling, though, are the reminiscences of Russian music, Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin in particular. It’s a wonderful work, incredibly passionate and uninhibited. The organ and pealing bells at the “andante mistico” conclusion provide a most welcome payoff.
Better still, Noseda and the BBC orchestra deliver an extremely exciting performance of this unabashedly exciting work. Its 49-plus minutes whiz by more quickly than you’d ever believe possible. The second-movement scherzo is particularly thrilling, and given the thick scoring it’s remarkable that Noseda and his players prevent the music from ever sounding merely noisy. But then, Casella knows what he’s doing as well. The coupling, Scarlattiana, dates from some 16 years later, and reveals Casella, like Stravinsky, as a committed neo-classicist. Charming, witty, and wholly delightful, the piece is very well played by Martin Roscoe, and colorfully accompanied by Noseda and the band. This vividly engineered production surely deserves a home in your collection. [7/7/2010]
