Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma - Architetture Contrappunti Marinesca E Baccanale - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Goffredo Petrassi's reputation was established in 1932 when his Partita (available on Naxos 8.572411) won critical acclaim. Petrassi then composed his Concerto for Orchestra, the first of eight, which, upon it's 1935 premiere, secured his reputation outside of Italy. The Second Concerto from 1951 reveals more avante-garde tendencies, while the Third Concerto from 1952-53 is animated and playful.

Goffredo Petrassi was 28 when his Partita (recorded on Naxos 8.572411) propelled him to European fame. He fused neo-Classicism with more contemporary traits reinforced by his mastery of polyphony, qualities that can be found in his eight Concertos for Orchestra (Nos. 1-3 are available on 8.573702). Concertos Nos. 4-6 were written in the mid-1950s and are striking examples of emotional turbulence and structural compression, fastidiously scored and imaginative in their formal conception. The soloistic writing of Invenzione concertata (Concerto No. 6) adds another layer of sonic complexity to these gripping concertos.

Recorded live in 1948 by Dave Caughran and Cecil Charles from The Rendezvous Ballroom, Santa Monica, and considered a vital step in his rise to popularity, Kid Ory and his swingin' jazz band turn up the volume and take you through a plethora of classic New Orleans standards and favorite tunes. These tapes, made available twenty years after their original recording, are not only historically important, but are extremely exciting and exceptionally well recorded by the day's standards and Ory's personality and this tight-knit ensemble shine through on tracks including 'High Society', 'Down Home Rag' and 'Do What Ory Say'.