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Alessandro Marangoni champions a new recording of forgotten Piano Concertos by Hollywood legend Castelnuovo-Tedesco Release Date – 1 May 2012 on Naxos Catalogue No: 8.572823
03 May 2012
Young Italian pianist Alessandro Marangoni champions a new recording of forgotten Piano Concertos by Hollywood legend Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco on the Naxos Label with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra directed by Andrew Mogrelia. It also includes the premiere performance and recording of 4 Dances from Love's Labour's Lost edited by Marangoni.
Skyrocketed to stardom at MGM Studios in the 40s and 50s, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed more than 250 film-music scores during Hollywood’s Golden Age including Oscar-winning movies Gaslight (1944)and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). Jascha Heifetz, Arturo Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic championed his compositions.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 –1968) was one of the most prolific Italian composers, who wrote for nearly every performing medium. Aided by Arturo Toscanini, the Jewish composer escaped from Italy in 1939. The same year Castelnuovo-Tedesco premiered his Second Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Sir John Barbirolli.
Snapped up by renowned MGM Studios, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed the music for Gaslight (1944), starring Ingrid Bergman, who won an Oscar® for this movie and 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her screen debut. His further works include Oscar-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), the first sound film of Oscar Wilde’s novel as well as the best film at the Locarno International Film Festival And Then There Were None (1945),based on Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery novel.
Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight
Castelnuovo-Tedesco was closely associated withArturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Samuel Barber, Andrés Segovia, and Sir John Barbirolli. Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra premiered several of his works, including Violin Concerto I profeti in 1933 with Jascha Heifetz and Cello Concerto in 1935 with Gregor Piatigorsky. Castelnuovo-Tedesco had significant influence on many prominent composers, including Herman Stein, Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini and his students includedJerry Goldsmith, John Williams and André Previn. According to Previn, being a student of the sought-after composer was virtually a requirement for young composers to be accepted at the studios.
Marangoni commented:
“It is wonderful to see what a triumph a silent black-and-white movie The Artist had at the Oscars, evoking the charm of old Hollywoodandturning the clock back to a time when, although the technology was simpler, the experience was more magical. Italian composer Castelnuovo-Tedesco went against the progressive movement writing seemingly old-fashioned song-like melodies and tunes.”
It was Castelnuovo-Tedesco himself who said:
“I have never believed in modernism, or in neoclassicism or any other isms.
I myself believe, that I have a feeling for the contemporary and, therefore, am sufficiently modern.”
The composer was known for his engaging film-music, which not merely accented or punctuated the action, but perfectly established the emotional tone of each and every scene and gently transitioned between them: “… A strong sense of narrative, where you can really hear the music as a story…” (Marangoni). This conversational nature is an inherent quality of his compositions.
Concerto No 1, written in 1927, is a vivid and witty example of romantic spirit, exquisite melodies and rich yet transparent orchestration. Concerto No 2, composed a decade later, is a darker, more dramatic and virtuosic work. Its dreamlike slow movement and passionate finale of immense virtuosity are tinged with moments of sombre agitation, plaintive melodies and intriguing harmonies.
This is the premiere performance and recording of the Four Dances of Love’s Labour’s Lost, an unpublished work written in 1953. One of Shakespeare's early comedies, the play tells the story of the King and his three noble companions, taking an oath to devote themselves to three years of study, promising not to give in to the company of women but instantly, falling comically in love with the Princess and her three ladies.
William Shakespeare’s dramas and comedies were a constant source of inspiration for Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s music. The composer wrote a large number of works inspired by the English poet, including the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream (1940), two Shakespearean operas, one of which – The Merchant of Venice (1956) – won the first prize in an international competition of La Scala in 1958. With help of Lisbeth Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the composer´s niece, who loaned Marangoni the manuscripts deposited at the Library of Congress in Washington, he was able to create a performing edition of Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s forgotten Four Dances of Love’s Labour’s Lost.
In Love’s Labour’s Lost, there is a witty homage to Gioachino Rossini, the variation on Buonasera miei signori from The Barber of Seville. Furthermore, his music reveals the Italian lyrical tradition of Clementi, Rossini, Busoni and de Sabata particularly through his use of expressive melody lines. Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s “full-blooded romantic vein” (Graham Wade)is filled with the essence of the Italian classics and the heritage of opera.
Alessandro Marangoni
Championing Italian composers, Alessandro Marangoni made a recording of piano works by the great Italian conductor Victor de Sabata in 2007. He is currently recording the complete piano works by Rossini and Clementi and has already brought out four discs of Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age) and two discs ofGradus ad Parnassum. He performed for de Sabata’s 40th anniversary at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan with Daniel Barenboim.
Born in Italy in 1979, Marangoni studied piano with Marco Vincenzi at the Conservatory of Alessandria, where he was awarded the diploma with summa cum laude. He continued his studies with Maria Tipo and Pietro De Maria. Besides his musical studies he received an honours degree at the Università di Pavia with a thesis on Fernando Liuzzi´s philosophy of music. Being awarded the prestigious Amici di Milano International Prize for Music, Marangoni has appeared in many important musical events in Europe, including Rome (Accademia di Santa Cecilia), Florence (Accademia della Crusca), Venice (Teatro La Fenice), Lucca (Associazione Musicale Lucchese), Ischia (the Walton Foundation), Cittadella in Assisi, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Engadiner Internationale Kammermusik-Festspiele, Sagra Musicale Umbra, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, St John´s College, Cambridge, and the Universidad Católica de Chile. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with distinguished Italian artists and ensembles, including Mario Ancillotti, Vittorio Ceccanti, Daria Masiero, Stefano Parrino, Quirino Principe, Carlo Zardo and the Nuovo Quartetto Italiano.
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra
The MSO has gained international awards, such as the Cannes Classical Award and Diapason d’Or. Their recording of Berwald’s Symphonies, under the direction of Sixten Ehrling, was nominated for a Gramophone award, and a release of music by Charles Ives was Editor’s Choice and Recording of the Month in October 2008 in Gramophone.
Skyrocketed to stardom at MGM Studios in the 40s and 50s, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed more than 250 film-music scores during Hollywood’s Golden Age including Oscar-winning movies Gaslight (1944)and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945). Jascha Heifetz, Arturo Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic championed his compositions.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 –1968) was one of the most prolific Italian composers, who wrote for nearly every performing medium. Aided by Arturo Toscanini, the Jewish composer escaped from Italy in 1939. The same year Castelnuovo-Tedesco premiered his Second Piano Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Sir John Barbirolli.
Snapped up by renowned MGM Studios, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed the music for Gaslight (1944), starring Ingrid Bergman, who won an Oscar® for this movie and 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her screen debut. His further works include Oscar-winning The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), the first sound film of Oscar Wilde’s novel as well as the best film at the Locarno International Film Festival And Then There Were None (1945),based on Agatha Christie's best-selling mystery novel.
Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight
Castelnuovo-Tedesco was closely associated withArturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, Samuel Barber, Andrés Segovia, and Sir John Barbirolli. Toscanini and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra premiered several of his works, including Violin Concerto I profeti in 1933 with Jascha Heifetz and Cello Concerto in 1935 with Gregor Piatigorsky. Castelnuovo-Tedesco had significant influence on many prominent composers, including Herman Stein, Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini and his students includedJerry Goldsmith, John Williams and André Previn. According to Previn, being a student of the sought-after composer was virtually a requirement for young composers to be accepted at the studios.
Marangoni commented:
“It is wonderful to see what a triumph a silent black-and-white movie The Artist had at the Oscars, evoking the charm of old Hollywoodandturning the clock back to a time when, although the technology was simpler, the experience was more magical. Italian composer Castelnuovo-Tedesco went against the progressive movement writing seemingly old-fashioned song-like melodies and tunes.”
It was Castelnuovo-Tedesco himself who said:
“I have never believed in modernism, or in neoclassicism or any other isms.
I myself believe, that I have a feeling for the contemporary and, therefore, am sufficiently modern.”
The composer was known for his engaging film-music, which not merely accented or punctuated the action, but perfectly established the emotional tone of each and every scene and gently transitioned between them: “… A strong sense of narrative, where you can really hear the music as a story…” (Marangoni). This conversational nature is an inherent quality of his compositions.
Concerto No 1, written in 1927, is a vivid and witty example of romantic spirit, exquisite melodies and rich yet transparent orchestration. Concerto No 2, composed a decade later, is a darker, more dramatic and virtuosic work. Its dreamlike slow movement and passionate finale of immense virtuosity are tinged with moments of sombre agitation, plaintive melodies and intriguing harmonies.
This is the premiere performance and recording of the Four Dances of Love’s Labour’s Lost, an unpublished work written in 1953. One of Shakespeare's early comedies, the play tells the story of the King and his three noble companions, taking an oath to devote themselves to three years of study, promising not to give in to the company of women but instantly, falling comically in love with the Princess and her three ladies.
William Shakespeare’s dramas and comedies were a constant source of inspiration for Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s music. The composer wrote a large number of works inspired by the English poet, including the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream (1940), two Shakespearean operas, one of which – The Merchant of Venice (1956) – won the first prize in an international competition of La Scala in 1958. With help of Lisbeth Castelnuovo-Tedesco, the composer´s niece, who loaned Marangoni the manuscripts deposited at the Library of Congress in Washington, he was able to create a performing edition of Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s forgotten Four Dances of Love’s Labour’s Lost.
In Love’s Labour’s Lost, there is a witty homage to Gioachino Rossini, the variation on Buonasera miei signori from The Barber of Seville. Furthermore, his music reveals the Italian lyrical tradition of Clementi, Rossini, Busoni and de Sabata particularly through his use of expressive melody lines. Castelnuovo-Tedesco´s “full-blooded romantic vein” (Graham Wade)is filled with the essence of the Italian classics and the heritage of opera.
Alessandro Marangoni
Championing Italian composers, Alessandro Marangoni made a recording of piano works by the great Italian conductor Victor de Sabata in 2007. He is currently recording the complete piano works by Rossini and Clementi and has already brought out four discs of Péchés de vieillesse (Sins of Old Age) and two discs ofGradus ad Parnassum. He performed for de Sabata’s 40th anniversary at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan with Daniel Barenboim.
Born in Italy in 1979, Marangoni studied piano with Marco Vincenzi at the Conservatory of Alessandria, where he was awarded the diploma with summa cum laude. He continued his studies with Maria Tipo and Pietro De Maria. Besides his musical studies he received an honours degree at the Università di Pavia with a thesis on Fernando Liuzzi´s philosophy of music. Being awarded the prestigious Amici di Milano International Prize for Music, Marangoni has appeared in many important musical events in Europe, including Rome (Accademia di Santa Cecilia), Florence (Accademia della Crusca), Venice (Teatro La Fenice), Lucca (Associazione Musicale Lucchese), Ischia (the Walton Foundation), Cittadella in Assisi, Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Engadiner Internationale Kammermusik-Festspiele, Sagra Musicale Umbra, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, St John´s College, Cambridge, and the Universidad Católica de Chile. As a chamber musician he has collaborated with distinguished Italian artists and ensembles, including Mario Ancillotti, Vittorio Ceccanti, Daria Masiero, Stefano Parrino, Quirino Principe, Carlo Zardo and the Nuovo Quartetto Italiano.
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra
The MSO has gained international awards, such as the Cannes Classical Award and Diapason d’Or. Their recording of Berwald’s Symphonies, under the direction of Sixten Ehrling, was nominated for a Gramophone award, and a release of music by Charles Ives was Editor’s Choice and Recording of the Month in October 2008 in Gramophone.