DESCRIPTION:
Rossini's classic crescendo in full force....................

L'Italiana in Algeri
Sinfonia / Ouverture
Conductor - Carlo Maria Giulini
Philharmonia Orchestra

"Underrated masterpiece" is a frequent remark about "L'Italiana". And I certainly agree. This early opera buffa contains some of the most charming Rossini music you can imagine, full of beautiful arias and brilliant ensembles. It reminds me Mozart more than the later.

"L'Italiana" is a determined Italian lady, sung by contralto, who travels to Algiers to search for her lover, Lindoro, kidnapped and held as a slave by Mustafa, the Bey of Algiers. Isabella's wit and charm prove too much for Mustafa and his retinue, and she is able to escape with Lindoro at the end...

Exceptionally, the overture is thematically linked with the opera itself, which is unusual for Rossini's overtures: "L'Italiana" starts with a theatrically heavy slow introduction ("Pria di dividerci") leading into an exciting allegro with elements of sonata form. The first theme ("allegro") is perfect in establishing much of the confusion that Mustafa's foolishness causes; while the more gentle second theme ("dolce", "leggiero") could symbolize the lovesick Lindoro. A musical link occurs in the crescendos that feature a rising theme which will appear later in Taddeo's aria. All in all, a most inspiring opening. Giulini's version remains my favorite. Just enjoy it. And don't forget your limoncello.

"The music is characteristic of Rossini's style, remarkable for its fusion of sustained, manic energy with elegant, pristine melodies. Rossini wrote L'Italiana in Algeri when he was 21. The opera was composed in either 18 or 27 days... The overture is widely recorded and performed today, known for its distinct opening of slow, quiet pizzicato basses, leading to a sudden loud burst of sound from the full orchestra. This 'surprise' reflects Rossini's early admiration for Joseph Haydn, whose Symphony No. 94 in G major, 'The Surprise Symphony', is so named for the same shocking, semi-comic effect." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27italiana_in_Algeri

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Handsome and impeccably tailored, Carlo Maria Giulini (1914-2005) was once called "Don Carlo of the Symphony".

Through most of his career, Giulini resisted assuming full-time responsibility for an orchestra. Needing frequent periods for reflection and study, he preferred guest-conducting associations. He had a 23-year relationship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, starting in 1955 (his first American engagement). From 1969 to 1978 he was its principal guest conductor. He was also the principal conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra for three years during the 1970's. In 1978 he became the principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In 1950 in Bergamo he made his debut in staged opera, conducting Verdi's Traviata, which he conducted again the next year with Maria Callas and Renata Tebaldi alternating the role of Violetta... In Bergamo, Giulini came to the attention of Toscanini and, more significantly, Victor de Sabata, who immediately took Giulini to La Scala, where in 1953 he succeeded de Sabata as principal conductor.

By the late 1960's, Giulini had grown disheartened with working in opera houses, where he said he had to contend with insufficient rehearsal time, musically obtuse directors and too many singers interested more in jet-setting international careers than in substantive work. He restricted his appearances, and even the Metropolitan Opera was never able to engage him.

Still, some of his complete opera recordings are landmarks of the discography, including a 1959 account of Mozart's "Nozze di Figaro" with Giuseppe Taddei in the title role, Anna Moffo as Susanna, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf as the Countess, and the Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.

Giulini made careful choices in repertory, putting off conducting the symphonies of Mozart and Beethoven until the 1960's. As Giulini matured, his tempos, always on the spacious side, grew even more so. Some critics sometimes found his work vague, sluggish, even prissy. Reviewing a Los Angeles Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall in 1979, the Times critic Harold C. Schonberg wrote that during much of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony "this listener had the feeling that Mr. Giulini was equating slowness with profundity".

He died in Brescia, Italy at age 91... this conductor-character Fellini couldn't have thought up - a big hat, sunglasses, the scarf, driving along in his Mercedes...

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