Ernia Gemelli Ascendente Milano

This delightful intermezzo per musica in two acts - recounting the old story of a naïve young nobleman and of a sly girl who, after a series of squabbles and pranks, following the best of traditions, declare eternal love to each other and decide to get married - has pleased audiences ever since its first performance at the San Samuele theatre in Venice in 1750, and is here recorded for the first time. At that time the intermezzo was already a well-defined and self-standing music form, detached from opera seria, with which, originally, it had been combined. It was also, however, in a declining phase and nearing its disappearance. And yet L'uccellatrice by Niccolò Jommelli enjoyed many performances (Leipzig, 1751; Bologna, Ravenna and Vicenza, 1753; Parma, 1756; Florence, 1760; Pescia, 1772) and was even translated into French, with the score adapted and enlarged.

During 1983-86 altoist Bobby Watson recorded fairly regularly for the Italian Red label. On this album he is joined by an obscure but talented Italian rhythm section (pianist Piero Bassini, bassist Attilio Zanchi and drummer Giampiero Prina) called the Open Form Trio. Actually the highpoint of the date is Watson's unaccompanied solo on "If Bird Could See Me Now." Other memorable selections on the well-rounded set include "Watson's Blues," the ballad "Always Missing You" and the spirited "Funcalypso." Bobby Watson (who doubles on this album on soprano) at that point in time was combining advanced hard bop with some influences from the avant-garde, carving out his own style.

This new La Scala Turandot marked the first time the opera was performed in Milan with the finale devised by Luciano Berio, replacing Alfano's traditional ending. Berio himself worked closely on this production with both the stage director Nikolaus Lehnhoff and La Scala's Music Director, Riccardo Chailly. Nina Stemme takes the title role with her "powerful, luxuriant voice" and "blazing high notes" (New York Times).

Massimo Lonardi avait bien enregistré un album assez réussi, consacré lui aussi à la fois à Milano et Borrono, mais cet album de Paolo Cherici, de toute facon plus disponible, est la meilleure facon de découvrir Pietro Paolo Borrono, un des compositeurs majeurs du XVIe siècle italien, particulièrement réputé pour ses danses, et un des plus oubliés au disque (même s'il est régulièrement cité dans les anthologies via une ou deux pièces) maintenant que presque tous les autres grands luthistes, hormis Dalza (même si le même Paolo Cherici a enregistré un très bon album Dalza - Spinacino chez Pan classics), ont eu droit à leur disque dédié: Spinacino, Dall'Aquila, Capirola, Alberto da Ripa… et bien sûr Milano dont la discographie est maintenant riche.

The characters move in a musical setting which is perhaps less revolutionary than Pergolesi's had been, the scenic action moves at a slower pace, with longer arias. Pergolesi's means are certainly more limited than Paisiello's, his vocal styles more essential and specific — his Uberto is more desperate and his Serpina craftier, while in Paisiello's opera the characters take on a more worldly and fugy-rounded form. In Paisiello's work Uberto and Serpina sing with greater awareness of the fact that they are actors in an institutionalised theatre, and their arias could at times belong to a different text, as for example the splendid 'Donne Vaghe' with which Serpina opens the second act or the delightful duet 'Donne infeste', whose music sounds more like an act of love than the celebration of deep disagreement. These two episodes, whose pertinence to the development of the plot is quite questionable, do not appear in Pergolesi's text.

Al Di Meola - La Melodia: World Sinfonia Live In Milano (2008) {Valiana}
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© 2008 Valiene Music and Media
Jazz / Acoustic / World Fusion / Latin / Guitar

I listened to this music live just few months after this concert was recorded in Milano. Al Di Meola bring his new World Sinfonia (same line-up as on this album) to Kaunas Jazz Festival (during his La Melodia Live … promotional tour). Even songs track list during concert was the same as on album. So I have rare possibility to compare live recording with real live concert (no the same but very similar). And I can say - I like them both!

Cimarosa’s opera, which reuses some items from the composer’s Il matrimonio in ballo of 1776, exists in two versions. The first – the holograph manuscript of which is preserved in the Conservatorio di Musica SW. Pietro a Majella, in Naples – was entitled Il credulo and consists of two acts – although the second contains only one scene and a chorus. The second version is in one act and is entitled Il credulo deluso. The manuscript of this version is in London, British Library Add MS. 16001. The one-act version omits a few items, particularly some in Neapolitan dialect.

Giovanni Battista Sammartini is considered the first great symphony composer of the European musical history. Nine of his symphonies are presented here, as part of an extensive project to release the entire repertoire of Sammartini’s symphonic writing.