Roma Orchestra Sinf:Vecchia - Catalani: Ero E Leandro

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.Francesco La Vecchia and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma have a well-established track record and a remarkable discography of Italian music with Naxos. With the romantic work of Catalani they move back in time from their previous recordings of music by Casella. ClassicsToday comment that 'it's great to see them branching out into the unexplored byways of modern Italian music, a terribly neglected field' (8.572410 Franco Ferrara's Fantasia tragica).