Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Nino Rota, best known for his scores for the Godfather films as well as Italian classics by Federico Fellini and other directors, also composed a good deal of abstract music. It's never less than well wrought, and the end of modernist tyranny has brought a substantial resurgence of interest in it. Rota composed four piano concertos, and especially the two heard here grow on you with repeated hearings and have been increasingly frequently performed and recorded. The casual Rota fan would be justified in asking whether his concert music resembles his film scores; the answer is: sometimes, and increasingly often as his career proceeded. The Piano Concerto in E minor recorded here, composed in 1978, is subtitled "Piccolo mondo antico," but many of its melodies could have come straight from one of Rota's film scores. To be sure, these were often written for films that depicted some kind of vanishing worlds, and his melodic genius was tinged with nostalgia. But the appeal of the work lies not merely in its collection of melodies, but also in Rota's skill at fusing his brand of melodicism with concerto form. The space allotted to the prime Godfather-type melody is the second subject of the two outer movements, which fall into a loose sonata form; the opening bars of the slow movement are also very cinematic. But in each case the material is artfully batted back and forth between piano and orchestra, resulting in a texture that feels less like a traditional concerto than like an episodic film score, yet balances piano and orchestra in consistently unexpected ways. The Piano Concerto in C major, from 1960, has less of Rota's characteristic voice, but it is likewise an entertaining work. The derivation of the first movement from an artless, transparent melody at the beginning, as well as the brassy tritone-based finale, both suggest the influence of Shostakovich. The penetration of Rota's music as far as Finland augurs well for the continued growth of its reputation, and the little-known pianist Janne Mertanen and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra deliver crisp, lively performances backed by bright, clear SACD sound from Finland's Alba label. This is an excellent place to start for those who may have been curious about Nino Rota's concert music.
© TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From €13,50/month
Piano Concerto in E minor, 'Piccolo mondo antico' (Nino Rota)
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Piano Concerto in C major (Nino Rota)
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Janne Mertanen, Performer - Hannu Lintu, Conductor - Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra - Nino Rota, Composer
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Album review
Nino Rota, best known for his scores for the Godfather films as well as Italian classics by Federico Fellini and other directors, also composed a good deal of abstract music. It's never less than well wrought, and the end of modernist tyranny has brought a substantial resurgence of interest in it. Rota composed four piano concertos, and especially the two heard here grow on you with repeated hearings and have been increasingly frequently performed and recorded. The casual Rota fan would be justified in asking whether his concert music resembles his film scores; the answer is: sometimes, and increasingly often as his career proceeded. The Piano Concerto in E minor recorded here, composed in 1978, is subtitled "Piccolo mondo antico," but many of its melodies could have come straight from one of Rota's film scores. To be sure, these were often written for films that depicted some kind of vanishing worlds, and his melodic genius was tinged with nostalgia. But the appeal of the work lies not merely in its collection of melodies, but also in Rota's skill at fusing his brand of melodicism with concerto form. The space allotted to the prime Godfather-type melody is the second subject of the two outer movements, which fall into a loose sonata form; the opening bars of the slow movement are also very cinematic. But in each case the material is artfully batted back and forth between piano and orchestra, resulting in a texture that feels less like a traditional concerto than like an episodic film score, yet balances piano and orchestra in consistently unexpected ways. The Piano Concerto in C major, from 1960, has less of Rota's characteristic voice, but it is likewise an entertaining work. The derivation of the first movement from an artless, transparent melody at the beginning, as well as the brassy tritone-based finale, both suggest the influence of Shostakovich. The penetration of Rota's music as far as Finland augurs well for the continued growth of its reputation, and the little-known pianist Janne Mertanen and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra deliver crisp, lively performances backed by bright, clear SACD sound from Finland's Alba label. This is an excellent place to start for those who may have been curious about Nino Rota's concert music.
© TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 6 track(s)
- Total length: 00:54:09
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Janne Mertanen Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra Hannu Lintu
- Composer: Nino Rota
- Label: Alba
- Genre: Classical
(C) 2013 Alba (P) 2013 Alba
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.