As the classical music “crisis” continues, odd coincidences of duplicate releases of rare repertoire continue to happen, including this lovely new recording containing yet another performance of Rota’s delicious suit from La Strada. This competes directly with Atma’s recent release coupling the suite to a some Rota concertos (for harp and trombone, respectively). On the whole, the competition strikes me as more colorful and rhythmically emphatic (as well as better recorded, though this is very good), and there are some curious differences in orchestration between the two performances (try the trumpets in the Rumba at the end of the second movement), but this is by no means an ineffective or interpretively deficient version; just not quite as good as the competition.
However, what may well make this disc an essential purchase anyway for Rota aficionados is the only available performance of the Symphony on a Love Song. As the title implies, this is a lyrical, very pretty piece of writing in which Rota’s unfailing sense of charm and neoclassical sensibilities prevent the music from ever sounding trite. The scherzo is especially delightful, and conductor Marzio Conti projects the work’s vernal freshness and long, singing lines with obvious enthusiasm. The two waltzes from Il Gattopardo (“The Leopard”) make a nice conclusion: one is actually an arrangement of Verdi, and the other is vintage Rota. This ongoing series, even when it’s not quite as fine as the competition, is never less that very good and it really deserves far more popular attention than it has gotten. The music’s terrific, and needs to be better known.
