Capriccio Italien/Tchaikovsky, LP/Pt 2 of 2

Added: Jul 25, 2008

From: zmov1

Duration: 4:30

Antal Dorati conducts the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Mercury LP MG50054 1955 (Original Scoring) (Sorry for the scratches, she's 50 years old) Composed in 1880, more than a half-dozen years before Rimsky-Korsakov's equally celebrated 'Capriccio Espagnol', Tchaikovsky's 'Capriccio Italien' was intended by the composer to be as a frankly 'popular' piece. 'I think it has a bright future.' He once wrote from Rome;'It will be effective because of the wonderful melodies I happened to pick up, partly from published collections, and partly from out in the streets with my own ears.' The scoring is for very full orchestra, featuring as it does glockenspiel, triangle and tambourine in the percussion section, as well as cornets and English horn in the winds augmenting the the normal symphonic forces. The bugle call of the Italian Royal Cuirassiers (whose barracks adjoined a hotel at which Tchaikovsky once stayed) is sounded by the trumpets at thevery opening of the Capriccio Italien. There follows a plaintive and darkly hued melody, heard first in the strings, then worked gradually toward a climax that features a return of the cavalry call with trumpets and clashing cymbals. English horn and bassoons recall the plaintive melody for a brief space, but an ensuing change of tempo brings with it a lilting folktune played by the oboes in thirds then by the cornets, with tinkling glockenspiel chiming in at the close of each phase. Again, a climax is reached, this time with the full orchestral forces, and the tempo becomes still faster as strings set forth a brisk rhythmic melody, again in lively tempo but of more lush harmonic texture is sounded by the entire string section with tambourine marking the rhythm. As this melody reaches a peak of color and harmonic richness, it subsides graduallythrough the horns and the rhythmic tension quite suddenly evaporates, paving the way for the strings to recapitulate the plaintive melody heard in the music's earlier pages. This does not last for long; For we are quite suddenly plunged into a 'presto' tarantella episode introduced by flutes and clarinets, but soon involving every section of the orchestra even to the full percussion forces. A tremendous climax and brilliant decending scale brings back in full panoply the folktune in 3-time introduced originally by oboes and cornets in turn. The 'presto' is then resumed, but with still another tarantella figure which brings this colorful work to a close with a blaze of orchestral pyrotechnics. The 1812 Overture from the other side of the album can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9NLx292SY

Channel: Music

Tags: antal  capriccio  classical  conductor  dorati  italien  lp  mercury  mg50054  minneapolis  orchestra  symphony  tchaikovsky 

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