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Lorenzo Perosi Piano Quintets • String Trios
Lorenzo Perosi (1872–1956) is reputed to have composed more than 3,000 sacred works, many of them still unpublished, making him the 20th century’s most prolific composer in the genre. Chamber music may consequently appear to be a marginal part of his output, but this impression is misleading, in terms of both quantity and quality. He enriched Italian music with 21 string quartets, 4 piano quintets and numerous string trios, not to mention works for smaller ensembles and solo instruments. Having only recently come to the attention of musicologists, these works remain little-known and rarely performed.

Lorenzo PEROSI (1872–1956)
Piano Quintets Nos. 3 and 4
String Trios

Matteo Bevilacqua, Piano • Roma Tre Orchestra Ensemble

Lorenzo Perosi was both a priest and a composer, enriching Italian music with a large body of transcendent choral music that was admired by Puccini. Much less well known is his chamber music, written during a creative outpouring after serious illness between 1928 and 1931. The piano quintets are marked by rich melodic ideas and a buoyancy of mood. The String Trio No. 1 in G minor is admirably concise and the accompanying six string trios reflect a strong command of counterpoint. Perosi’s piano quartets and String Trio No. 2 are available on Naxos 8.574375.

Listen to an extract from Piano Quintet No. 3:
III. Vivo senza correre
About the Artists

Italian concert pianist Matteo Bevilacqua currently holds the position of artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. He has garnered international recognition through his recordings on the Naxos and Grand Piano labels. His performances have been featured on the Italian national radio station Rai Radio 3 and he is a sought-after performer at various festivals, including Vaux Hall Summer, Castel dei Mondi, Mittelfest, Perosi and Legno Vivo.

Roma Tre Orchestra is the first university orchestra to be established in Rome and Lazio. Founded in 2005, it aims to promote dedication, excellence and passion for great music, especially among the younger generations. Featuring as the soloists on this release, Leonardo Spinedi and Hinako Kawasaki (violins), Lorenzo Rundo (viola) and Angelo Maria Santisi (cello) have been serving for several years as principals with the orchestra.

More albums from the Naxos 19th/20th-Century Italian Classics series
8.579042
ALFANO, F.:
Complete String Quartets

Darvarova • Mumm, M.A. • Mumm, C. • Magill
★★★★★
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8.573135
CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO, M.:
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Yang
SWR Sinfonierchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg
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★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
‘Wow! I am figuratively knocked off my feet! This is bold, vivid, exciting music … I couldn’t stop playing this.’
American Record Guide
8.574173
★★★★★
★★★★
‘The performances on this disc are first-class, so much so that were I to recommend just one Malipiero disc or download for your collection, this would be it.’
Fanfare
8.574013
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
★★★★
‘Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic give us a fresh and thrilling take on these concert warhorses … This is a splendid recording by a top-drawer conductor and orchestra that captures the sorcery of Respighi’s orchestral writing. Not to be missed.’
Fanfare
To view the complete 19th/20th Century Italian Classics catalogue, follow this link.


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