Chandos, who has already successfully broken a lance for so many forgotten composers, seems to have found a new project for revaluation in the Italian / American composer Gian Carlo Menotti. Menotti was born in Italy, but received his musical training in the United States. There he experienced his breakthrough as a composer at the age of 25 with the comic one-act play Amelia al ballo. Menotti was
… by nature a carefree lyricist and therefore mainly focused on theater. However, his oeuvre also includes many large-scale instrumental works, and this CD is based on this. It opens with Apocalisse, a twenty-minute symphonic poem written in the years 1951/1952. Menotti drew on various Jewish and Christian sources for this very imaginative theme - not just the latest Bible book. The work is divided into three parts. The first, called 'Improperia', deals with the battle between the redemption offered to mankind by Christ and the suffering that that same mankind inflicted on the Savior. This rather tumultuous part is followed by a considerably more ethereal atmosphere in the second part, 'La città celeste', in which the heavenly Jerusalem is portrayed. The work concludes with 'Gli angeli militanti', which depicts how angels establish the rule of the Messiah by fighting the evil forces of the earth. The Fantasy for cello and violin from 1976 sounds considerably more conventional in form and idiom; lasting fifteen minutes, predominantly lyrical work, in which the soloist glories 'old-fashioned'. Finally, the very colorful suite from the ballet 'Sebastian' can be heard. In the last two pieces, Menotti is most at ease. While in the Apocalisse he seems to indulge in the heavily loaded material, he knows how to alternate between charm, guts and elegance in these pieces. The Spoleto Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Hickox, will in any case provide well-organized lectures. (JvG) The Spoleto Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Hickox, will in any case provide well-organized lectures. (JvG) The Spoleto Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Hickox, will in any case provide well-organized lectures. (JvG)more