Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Divertimento pour orchestre à cordes, Sz 113

Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892-1965)
Concerto pour violon et cordes "Il belprato"

Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Concerto pour cordes

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Trauermusik pour alto et orchestre à cordes

Daniele Orlando, violon
Francesco Fiore, alto
I Solisti Aquilani
Flavio Emilio Scogna, direction

A rare collection of recordings featuring some of the finest examples of the neo- Classical school, this release brings together a collective of high-calibre string players and some exciting young soloists under the guidance of globally renowned conductor Flavio Emilio Scogna. Together they interpret some of the most emotionally complex and technically demanding works written for string orchestra in the 20th century. The two Italians represented here are equally sophisticated in their treatment of the ensemble: the mysterious, macabre Allegro moderato e spiritoso gives way to the spritely, dynamic interplay of soloist and ensemble of the Rondo: Vivace con brio in Ghedini’s Concerto for violin and strings. Rota, whilst better known for his film scores, displays all the provocative simplicity and stylistic versatility of his orchestral and chamber works in his Concerto for strings; the Scherzo and Finale teem with references to European folk music. The three movements from Bartók’s Divertimento similarly contain clear allusions to Romanian folk music, but come from his more tonally grounded period, the utterly danceable Allegro non troppo and Allegro assai contrasting with the dark and moody Molto adagio. Like Bartók, Hindemith wrote his Trauermusik under the looming threat of global conflict and the composer’s music from this period demonstrates appropriately melancholic attributes. Written in only six hours after the death of King George V, the beautiful solemnity and understatement of this work is a fitting tribute both to the King and Hindemith’s style of the time.