Un giorno di regno is the rare case of a musical comedy by Verdi. But his second stage work proved a complete fiasco when unveiled at La Scala, Milan, in 1840 and more than half a century was to pass before he attempted a second comedy with his final opera, Falstaff. Today, conversely, Verdi’s early melodrama giocoso enjoys increasing popularity thanks to its wellspring of musical ideas and effervescent melodies.
Gaetano Brunetti was an Italian composer of the Classical era who was employed at the royal court of Spain, for the most part writing symphonies and chamber works. A small number of Brunetti's compositions were published in his lifetime, and of these, his symphonies have attracted the most attention from period ensembles and have occasionally appeared on CD. This 2015 release by Gustavo Sánchez and Camerata Antonio Soler presents three works Brunetti composed in the reign of Charles III, the Symphony No. 9 in D major, the Symphony No. 21 in E flat major, and the Symphony No. 29 in C major, and they are played with rococo elegance in historically informed style.
Giuseppe Verdi’s second opera Un giorno di regno is one of the composer’s least known works. The premiere in Milan in 1840 was a failure, which Verdi said was due to his own personal circumstances: During the creative process two of his children and his first wife died within two months. Despite the rather weak libretto, the stage work has its merits and captivates, for example, with fresh, catchy melodies that, although they can not deny the influence of Rossini and Donizetti, are by no means imitative.
Born September 22, 1934, to a Milanese family, Italian singer Ornella Vanoni spent most of her twenties alternating between theater (her debut was in 1957 with Federico Zardi's I Giacobini) and music. She started by singing "le canzoni della mala," or songs about the underworld, but after meeting Gino Paoli in 1960 (with whom she wrote "Senza Fine," one of her biggest hits) she began exploring the more sentimental sounds of pop.
L'Arpeggiata's previous recordings have blended popular or folk-inspired elements with music of the Baroque in striking and imaginative ways. 'All'Improviso' takes this melting-pot approach even further, combining the Baroque ostinato bass with improvisatory techniques from both the historically aware stream of 21st-century music-making and of jazz through the participation of the clarinettist Gianluigi Trovesi.
"Salvatore Di Vittorio is seen as heir to the Italian neo-Classical orchestral tradition with a narrative style notable for its colourful orchestration and 'swelling lyricism' (American Record Guide). This second volume of his orchestral works includes a vivid portrayal of the cultural and historical diversity of his home city in Overtura Palermo. Sinfonia No. 3 evokes the beauty and magnificence of Sicilian temples, while Sinfonia No. 4 'Metamorfosi', based on Ovid, is Di Vittorio's most important work to date. His Overtura Respighiana and Sinfonias Nos. 1 and 2 can be heard on Naxos 8.572333."
This 2007 production from the Teatro Regio di Parma is conducted by Yuri Termirkanov. He has appeared with many leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and La Scala.
"Do we really need another Traviata? Yes! Emphatically Yes! This one! The production by Karl-Ernst Herrmann is lavish. Each act has its individual color. Costumes, also by Herrmann, are period lavish. Staging by Karl-Ernst and Ursel Herrman is rich in detail." - American Record Guide