Casella la Vecchia

Of all the Italian composers born toward the end of the 19th century, Alfredo Casella (1883–1947) was the most cosmopolitan in his dogged efforts to drag his country’s music into the 20th century. But before this could start happening sometime around the First World War, he first had to drag himself out of the 19th century, as these two early symphonies (and, to a lesser extent, the much more consistently magisterial Third Symphony, available now on a cpo CD) vividly illustrate.

Alfredo Catalani is best known today for his opera La Wally, but he also experimented with a number of orchestral works, including three symphonies. Ero e Leandro, Catalani’s last orchestral work, evokes the dramatic tragedy of the Greek mythological lovers Hero and Leander who lived on either side of the Hellespont (the modern Dardanelles). The brief Scherzo is a sparkling piece while the Andantino is noteworthy for its fluid melodic line. The bel canto lyricism of Contemplazione contrasts with Il Mattino, a single-movement Romantic symphony divided into several clearly distinguishable sections.