Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco(1895-1968): a Catalogue of the Orchestral Music

[Dundonnell]

I am counting Castelnuovo-Tedesco as an Italian composer. He settled in the USA in 1939 when he was aged 44  but many of his best works were written in Italy before he emigrated.

MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

1911/  :    "Cielo di Settembre" for orchestra, op.1
1914/30:"Le Roi Loys" for voice and orchestra, op.3
1914/27:"Ninna nanna" for voice and orchestra, op.4
1915/67:"Copias" for soprano and orchestra, op.7: 15 minutes
1919:      "3 fioretti di San Francesco" for voice and orchestra, op.11
1920/  :    "Cipressi" for orchestra, op.17
1920/  :   "La Sirenetta e il Pesche Turchino" for orchestra, op.18
1924:       Violin Concerto No.1 "L'Italiano", op.31: 33 minutes
1927:       Piano Concerto No.1 in D major, op.46    +  (Elan and Naxos cds)
1927/  :   "I Nottambuli" for Cello and Orchestra, op.47: 16 minutes   *
1928:      Symphonic Variations for Violin and Orchestra, op.48: 21 minutes
1930:      Overture "The Taming of the Shrew", op.61: 9 minutes  +  (Naxos cd)
1933:      Violin Concerto No.2 "The Prophets", op.66: 31 minutes  +  (Naxos, EMI, RCA and Marquis cds)
                Cello Concerto in G minor, op.72
                Overture "Twelfth Night", op.73: 10 minutes   +  (Naxos cd)
                Overture "The Merchant of Venice", op.76: 15 minutes  + (Naxos cd)
1934:      Overture "Julius Caesar", op.78: 11 minutes   + (Naxos cd)
1935:      Overture "The Winter's Tale", op. 80: 13 minutes   +  (Naxos cd)
1935/45:"Capriccio diabolico" for Guitar and Orchestra, op.85
1936:      Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, op.93
1936-37:Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, op.92: 28 minutes   +  (Capriccio and Naxos cds)
1937:      Ballet "Bas-Relief"("Queen Nefertiti")
1937/38:Three Shakespeare Duets for voices and orchestra, op.97
1938-39:Guitar Concerto No.1 in D major, op.99: 20 minutes   +  (several recordings)
1939:      Six Scottish Songs for voices, harp and strings, op.100
                Violin Concerto No.3, op.102
1940:      Overture "A Midsummer Night's Dream", op.108: 6 minutes  + (Naxos cd)
1941:      Overture "King John", op.111: 8 minutes   +  (Naxos cd)
1942:      "Larchmont Woods" for Violin and Orchestra, op.112
                  Ballet "The Birthday of the Infanta", op.115
1943:      Indian Songs and Dances for orchestra, op.116
                Serenade for Guitar and Orchestra, op.118
                "The Princess and the Pea" for orchestra, op.120
                Five Humoresques on themes by Foster for orchestra, op.121
                "A Lullaby on Foster's themes" for voices and orchestra
                "An American Rhapsody" for orchestra
1945:      "Noah's Ark" ("The Flood") for narrator, chorus and orchestra (Part 5 of "The Genesis Suite")   + (EMI and Naxos cds)
1947:      Overture "Antony and Cleopatra", op.134: 17 minutes  + (Naxos cd)
                Overture "The Tragedy of Coriolanus", op.135: 9 minutes  +  (Naxos cd)
                Ballet "The Octoroon Ball", op.136
                "Naomi and Ruth" for soprano, chorus and orchestra, op.137     + (Naxos cd)
1949:      Oratorio "The Book of Ruth" for voices, chorus and orchestra, op.140
1950:      Concerto da Camera for Oboe and Strings, op.146   +  (Barbirolli Society cd)
1951:      Oratorio "The Book of Jonah" for narrator, voices, chorus and orchestra, op.151
1953:      Guitar Concerto No.2 ("Concerto sereno") in C major, op.160      + (Brilliant Classics and RCA cds)
                Overture "Much Ado about Nothing", op.164: 10 minutes  + (Naxos cd)
                Overture "As You Like It",  op.166: 12 minutes  +  (Naxos cd)
1954:      Four Dances for 'Love's Labours Lost' for orchestra, op.167      +  (Naxos cd)
1954-55:Oratorio "The Song of Songs" for voices, chorus and orchestra, op.172
1962:      Oratorio "The Book of Esther" for soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, narrator, chorus and orchestra, op.200
                Double Guitar Concerto, op.201: 20 minutes   +  (Brilliant Classics and RCA cds)
1965:      Oratorio "Tobias and the Angel" for soprano, two contraltos, tenor,baritone, two basses, narrator, dancers, chorus and orchestra, op.204

Also an unfinished Symphony and Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra

[TerraEpon]

....and a huge swath of film music, though apparently a large amount of his credits is 'tracked' music (that is, written for other films and added into the film instead of using a newly composed score)

[alberto]

The 1927 Piano Concerto n.1 exists also on the label Elan (S.Rodriguez pf., G.Manahan cond., Richmond Sinfonia).

[Dundonnell]

Could I just add that in order to compile this catalogue I had to work my way through the list of Castelnuovo-Tedesco manuscripts stored in the Library of Congress

http://www.scribd.com/nmigneault/d/84739607-Mu-010012

[FBerwald]

Wow. Quite an extensive list. I didn't know that he wrote 3 violin concertos!?!

[Alan Howe]

Just a quick note: this thread was started before UC's remit was revised, so we need to be sure that any music discussed here is in accord with that revision.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Hoping for something of interest (to me at least) I bought the Naxos discs of the Shakespeare Overtures and the Piano Concertos. Alas, whilst the music seems competently put together I found it all quite unmemorable stuff. Without prejudice to Castelnuovo-Tedesco how I wish Naxos would throw its resources at some really deserving unrecorded music! May others enjoy it, but I suspect my copies will be heading towards the charity shop.

And whatever one thinks of the music none of it conforms to what we'd understand to be music properly belonging to the romantic category. Apologies if this note written by an obvious killjoy causes upset.

[eschiss1]

From what I understand, his 2nd violin concerto and guitar concertos do, but I haven't heard them.

[Revilod]

I was very impressed by the piano concertos and reviewed the Naxos disc on Amazon.co.uk. Another reviewer on the same site points out how C-T's music grows on you. I agree entirely with that. His melodies may seem a little faceless at first but after a few hearings you pick them up and become aware of how the music develops them lyrically and inevitably with no trace of academicism. Perhaps C-T's fluency works against him because his music can seem lacking in dramatic focus as a result. The Second Violin Concerto is a particularly lovely work and I would love to hear the other violin concertos and the cello concerto.

[semloh]

I've listened to C-T's music for years and I find the overtures a true delight! I don't think they are greatly removed from our remit at UC. "Much Ado About Nothing", for example, is one of my all-time favourite pieces. It contains some beautiful melodies, it is finely structured, and the orchestration sounds wonderful to my ears (it reminds me of Parry's Symphonic Variations).
As you might expect, I urge you to persevere with your Naxos discs, Peter! 

[Alan Howe]

VC2 is indeed a gorgeous, exotic-sounding piece - especially in the classic Perlman recording:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=127230&name_role1=1&comp_id=212730&bcorder=15&name_id=13607&name_role=2

[semloh]

I hope I'm not straying too far from our remit in mentioning the Guitar Quintet, also an exotic composition, fresh, uplifting and a fine piece - better, in my view, than his various guitar concertos. Alas, I am not familiar with the VCs.

[DennisS]

Thank you UC for drawing my attention to Castelnuovo-Tedesco's VC no 2. I already had a couple of CDs of his music, including his PC 1 and 2 but did not know the VC no 2 at all. After listening to the sound bites, I ordered the CD. Since receiving the CD, I have played the VC quite a few times and just love the piece. At times the music sounds like the soundtrack from a Hollywood biblical film but in a very nice way! The music is indeed gorgeous and superbly orchestrated. I can listen to it over and over!Thanks again UC!

[Alan Howe]

...but did not know the VC no 2 at all. After listening to the sound bites, I ordered the CD. Since receiving the CD, I have played the VC quite a few times and just love the piece. At times the music sounds like the soundtrack from a Hollywood biblical film but in a very nice way! The music is indeed gorgeous and superbly orchestrated.

Spot-on, Dennis. My thoughts exactly! Glad you liked the piece...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Socrates said somewhere that a wise man is one who recognises the fallibility of his opinions. After giving a moderate 'boo' to the Shakespeare pieces and thereby stirring up a fuss, I followed Alan's recommendation and obtained the Perlman / Mehta recording of the Vn Concerto. OK I concede my earlier judgment was unfair. It is certainly a gorgeous work, and Dennis's comparison to the soundtrack from a Hollywood biblical epic is spot on right. I'm glad to have got to know the work - and grateful (as ever) to learn from the views of others. But I sense this is a kind of 'listen every five or so years to the work' otherwise you'll tire of it. Yes, superbly orchestrated but somehow all effects without causes and maybe rather contrived? (I'll now duck my head beneath the parapet).