Credits:

Rota, Nino (1911-1979)

Description:

Nino Rota's comedy with a human touch is now available in a rare complete recording. This is a rare complete recording of his third opera. Rota was born in Milan on December 3, 1911. His grandfather was a composer, his mother a pianist, and his cousin a singer, and composers such as Casella, Pizzetti, Leoncavallo, and Puccini were frequent visitors to his home. Rota was a child prodigy, composing the oratorio "The Childhood of John the Baptist" at the age of eight and conducting it at twelve. Song and drama must have been the foundation of his music from an early age. The script for "The Florentine Straw Hat" was co-written by Rota and his mother based on the French play "The Italian Straw Hat. It is a slapstick comedy that begins when a young man's horse bites the straw hat of a passing noblewoman. It was composed in 1944-45, at the end of World War II, but it is full of the spirit of light-hearted fun and laughter that Rota said he wanted to be remembered for "a little nostalgia, a lot of optimism, and a good sense of humor. Orchestrated 10 years after its composition, it was premiered at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo in 1955. In 1975, RCA released an LP recording of the work under Rota's own direction.In 1998 it was performed at La Scala in Milan with a cast including Juan Diego Flores. More recently, the Opera Project of the National College of Music presented it in 2014 and 2003. The lead role of Fadinar on this CD is sung by Piotr Buszewski, a tenor who has had a remarkable career with the Hamburg State Opera and the Royal Opera. His sweet voice captivates the audience. The heroine, Elena, will be sung by Tetiana Mijus, who made her debut at the Graz Opera in 2012. Her bright voice is very attractive. Daniele Scueo, who studied piano and conducting in Italy and Germany, conducts the entire production. This recording is a valuable complete work as the RCA version by Rota has not been released on CD. Naxos Japan