Rota: Orchestral Works, Vol.2

Varied orchestral works. Some very fine, others capture Rota in popular mode. Worth having, although War and Peace is represented by only a fragment of the score.

After some attempts by other companies (Chandos mostly with a considerable lineup of work like the symphonies and concertos), DECCA partners up with Giuseppe Grazioli to, what is called on the Grazioli website, the complete orchestral works.The instalments, started in 2011 and is continuing up to 5 volumes now (2017). They each come in 2-CD cardboard sleeves with a booklet in Italian and English. The performances are up to standard and, as a result, these CD's give a nice insight in Rota's output. Don't be fooled by the Amazon title of 'Sacred Works Vol. 4' which is volume 4 in the ongoing series but contains Sacred Works.All the music is tonal (much of it is made for film) and pleasant to the ear (think of the Godfather soundtrack) and is well recorded. A comment could be made about the packaging format. As said, the volumes come in (cheap) cardboard sleeves with the CD's and the booklet cramped inside. It stores economically but the DECCA could have been a bit more pleasant as getting the CD's and booklet out of the sleeve feels like an accident in progress. For the price and the 'uniqueness' of the content, I am not going to reduce stars for that though.An excellent series with nice and 'easy' music to explore. Top marks to DECCA to uncover more of Nino Rota's music to the general public.

Un grande direttore d'orchestra e compositore che, come tanti altri, è stato prima apprezzato all'estero

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