# The Nino Rota Thread



## Guest

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Everybody knows Nino Rota is a great composer of cinematic music, but what about his more serious classical works? I've been listening to his concertos recently and feel like they are right up there with the early 20th century works by Shostakovich, Ravel, Bartok, Prokofiev and others. Straddling the late romantic and modern 20th century sounds and infusing elements of cinematic music, they are all wonderful. Here is a partial list of them:

Two mature Cello Concertos (and another labels No. 0 which I have not heard)
Two Piano Concertos, in C and E, and another titled "Concerto Soiree"
Concerto for Double Bass (not many of them out there and this one is really good)
Concerto for Trombone (same note from line above)
Concerto for Harp (listed in TC's recommended works)
Concerto for Bassoon (love it)
Castel del Monte for Horn and Orchestra

What is your opinion of Nino Rota? What works do you like and what recordings do you recommend?


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## mbhaub

For a long time I dismissed him as a movie composer, and boy, some of those scores do sound cheesy today. But then I discovered the orchestra music - it's a sad commentary on concert programming, at least in the USA, that these delightful, listenable, playable and enjoyable works are never played; no, instead we have to hear endless reruns of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky....you know what I mean. There are several excellent recordings of the symphonies, including one from Japan, but the Chandos set probably is best: great playing, conducting, sound...

One conductor I work with quite a bit spent most of his career in Italy in the opera pit - I loaned him these disks and he says he still wants to program a concert of Rota, Morricone, and Finzi. But after this year who knows if the orchestra will still exist.


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## Simplicissimus

I think highly of Nino Rota's film music but haven't heard a single bit of his serious classical work. Unfortunately, my streaming service is loaded with the former and has not a single example of the latter. This seems to be one of those intriguing threads that leads to unplanned spending. Well, I have a little more room in my CD cabinet. I hope to contribute to a discussion here after I get up to speed.


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## Guest

Simplicissimus said:


> I think highly of Nino Rota's film music but haven't heard a single bit of his serious classical work. Unfortunately, my streaming service is loaded with the former and has not a single example of the latter. This seems to be one of those intriguing threads that leads to unplanned spending. Well, I have a little more room in my CD cabinet. I hope to contribute to a discussion here after I get up to speed.


Yes. I just spent about 30 bucks to get the rest of his concertos because I loved the two piano concertos that I lucked into for free. It was well worth it. I will listen to them a hundred times over the coming years.


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## Rogerx

I've got this two, great music, going to explore your suggestions.
One top, ask the mods to put this thread in the composers section.


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## schigolch

_Il cappello di paglia di Firenze:

_


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## Nawdry

Rota is one of my own favorites. Some of the finest film scores of the 20thC, particularly those for Fellini's superb films. On the Sony CD, I especially like the Concerto for Strings and the Suite from _La Strada_. Another version of the Concerto for Strings is included on a Denon CD (CO-78949), _Italian Compositions of the 20th Century_, performed by I Soloisti Italiani.


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## Rogerx

Nawdry said:


> Rota is one of my own favorites. Some of the finest film scores of the 20thC, particularly those for Fellini's superb films. On the Sony CD, I especially like the Concerto for Strings and the Suite from _La Strada_. Another version of the Concerto for Strings is included on a Denon CD (CO-78949), _Italian Compositions of the 20th Century_, performed by I Soloisti Italiani.


Not so long ago I bought works for harp, a big disappointment . Perhaps he and the instrument are no friends..


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## christomacin

The Concerto for Strings is an excellent work. Still, I don't really have any huge urge to hear more of his output, although I'm sure it is rather pleasant, and I'd wouldn't mind listening to it if it was played on the radio or in concert.


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## BoggyB

I admire his music for the film *Waterloo*, but when I started listening to his "proper classical" stuff a coupla years ago, I didn't like it... I need to hear more of his film scores.


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## MatthewWeflen

I'm glad this thread got resurrected. Well, my wallet isn't glad. Very engaging music!


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## Sid James

A fine composer, based on the few pieces I've heard:

*La Strada* (ballet suite drawn from the film score) plus others on the Monte Carlo/Gianluigi Gelmetti film music disc




 (a portion, at 2:45 you can hear the stirring main theme)

*The Legend of the Glass Mountain* (an early hit, from around the time that piano concertos in movies where all the rage)





*Trio for clarinet, cello and piano* (heard this live many years ago, and judging from the amount of performances on youtube, it seems to have become somewhat of a recital fixture)





The notes to the Gelmetti disc say that Rota studied under Alfredo Casella; scored some 140 films (including the fruitful partnership with Fellini) and 100 works including opera, ballet, chamber and symphonic music; worked in music education as a noted academic.

It seems to me that Italy being the land of song and opera, its natural that composers like Rota and Morricone basically continued that path of unbroken melody and more conventional modes of musical expression. Notwithstanding, of course, others who where linked to the cutting edge musical developments in the rest of Europe (e.g. Dallapiccola, Petrassi, Berio).


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## Rogerx

christomacin said:


> The Concerto for Strings is an excellent work. Still, I don't really have any huge urge to hear more of his output, although I'm sure it is rather pleasant, and I'd wouldn't mind listening to it if it was played on the radio or in concert.


It works has the privilege to be conduct by a Rota maestro .


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