Synopsis
On the occasion of the 69th edition of the Festival dei Due Mondi, a new album dedicated to the orchestral works of Gian Carlo Menotti, performed by the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano under the direction of Francesco Cilluffo, is presented at Sala Pegasus.
Spanning more than forty years of activity, this journey highlights a lesser-known side of the composer, without ever entirely departing from the theatrical dimension. From the Lewisohn Stadium Fanfare (1965) – in which Menotti demonstrates his ability to blend a distinctly American soundscape with the evocative, Italian-inspired use of orchestral color and narrative construction – to the rare Symphony No. 1 “The Halcyon” (1976), rich in suggestion and commissioned by the Saratoga Festival, a vivid and theatrical orchestral writing emerges.
The program is completed by the suite from the ballet Sebastian (1944), imbued with dramatic atmospheres and lyricism, and the suite from the opera Goya (1987), inspired by the life of the Spanish painter. This recording project restores the complexity and imagination of Menotti’s work, offering a fresh perspective on his art.
“One should never compose operas”. I still remember Menotti’s cheeky look while giving me this piece of advice when I met him at the Teatro Regio in Turin, before a performance of The Consul in 2006.
This was clearly a provocation, coming from one of the most frequently performed operatic composers of the 20th century, and yet it sounded like a genuine cri de coeur, full of exhaustion and disillusionment. Each wrinkle on the composer’s face seemed to testify to his lifelong fights to write operas and to produce them in two continents for more than fifty years.
So it is somehow fitting that this album should concentrate on his orchestral works, spanning over forty years of his career, although the musical stage is never too far away from the composer’s creative mind.
Francesco Cilluffo
Credits
Programma
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