Castelnuovo-Tedesco

[Dylan]

Not sure whether he's unsung or not? but I'm quite taken with the new Naxos disc of his Shakespeare overtures. Ok, maybe no masterpieces, and some are more immediately striking than others - Julius Caesar strikes me as somewhat generic - but  Anthony & Cleopatra,if not blazingly passionate, has a limpidly sultry atmosphere, and a rumbustious 12th Night is already a favourite. I see coming along in vol II is the Overture to King John, which one can only hope will be more inspired than the woeful play itself!

[mbhaub]

Castelnuovo-Tedesco is also well represented on Naxos with the Well Tempered Guitars in 2 volumes. It's just beautifully written, unassuming, wonderful music. Not to be missed. It's great for a cool evening with the lights low and a glass of Harvey's in hand. The finale from his Concerto for Two Guitars has been savaged by critics, but I find it thoroughly enjoyable. I haven't heard the new Shakespeare disk, but will have to add it to the must buy list.

[M. Henriksen]

From the information on jpc.de the two volumes of overtures by C-T are recorded back in 1994. But I can't see that the works have been released on Marco Polo. So why use 16 years Naxos? Quite unusual for that label isn't it?

Morten

[TerraEpon]

Naxos has been licencing things from other labels too, such as Delos (some of the Hovahaness and David recordings for instance) and I think Koch as well, and others I can't remember off hand. No idea where these came from though.

[Delicious Manager]

Naxos has also been 'rescuing' some of the fine recordings temporarily lost to us following the collapse of Collins Classics.

[M. Henriksen]

Yes, all credit to Naxos for licencing and rescuing as you say.  I guess these two recordings by Penny and his Australian forces have waited long enough on the shelf. Good to see them in the catalogue!

Morten

[jimmosk]

Thanks for making me aware of those Shakespeare Overtures discs, which I somehow hadn't heard about!  I can't say Castelnuovo-Tedesco belongs in the "unsung" category, just the "insufficiently sung" one -- for instance, I think Rodrigo never wrote a movement as fine as the finale of MCT's Guitar Concerto #1: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=43:25249~T2

-J

[M. Henriksen]

Naxos continues with a new disc with Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 2 Piano Concertos coupled with four dances from Love's labour's lost. The dances appear to receive their first recording and first performance ever (!).
I enjoyed the two disc with the overtures, so I'll look forward to this one as well. Released in May.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572823


Morten

[albion]

I enjoyed the two disc with the overtures, so I'll look forward to this one as well.

Quite agree, Morten. The two discs of overtures are excellent technicolour music beautifully played - the PCs are (to me at least) an unknown quantity so at Naxos price this will definitely be yet another one to add to the basket. Thanks for the information.

[JimL]

I correspond on FB (albeit irregularly) with the composer's grandson Greg.  Don't know if there's any value in that, other than the fact that he has a grandson who lives out here in the L.A. area.