Casella, Alfredo

Alfredo Casella – La Donna Serpente. Frammenti Sinfonici (1932)

(b. Turin 25. July 1883 – d. Rome 5. March 1947)

First suite (prima serie):
Musica del sogno di re Altidòr (Act 1)
Interludio (Act 2)
Marcia Guerriera (Act 2)

Second suite (seconda serie):
Sinfonia (Act 1)
Preludio (Act 3)
Battaglia e Finale (Act 3)

Preface
From 1920, Casella entered his third compositional phase. The heterogeneous stylistic aspects of his first phase (Mahler, Russian nationalism, Fauré and French classicism), and certain compositional dialectics of Bartok, Stravinsky and Schoenberg that encapsulated his shorter second phase from 1913-1920, gave way to a language that embraced a Neoclassical/Classical modernist perspective from 1920-1944, with continued stylistic cosmopolitanism and eclecticism. In this third phase, notable compositions included A notte alta for piano and orchestra Op.30 (1921), the ballet La Giara Op.41 (1924), the Partita for Piano and Orchestra Op,42 (1924-25), Concerto Romano for organ, brass, timpani, and strings Op.43 (1926), Scarlattiana for piano and small orchestra Op.44 (1926), the Violin concerto Op.48 (1928), the opera La Donna Serpente Op.50 (1928-31), Introduzione, Aria and toccata for orchestra Op.55 (1933), the Symphony no3 Op.63 (1939-40), and Paganiniana for orchestra Op.65 (1942).

Additionally, the 1920’s was the decade in which Casella gained international success as a composer, performer, and conductor. His American tours in October 1921 (Philadelphia, New York, Detroit and Cincinnati), January 1923 (Boston, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Chicago), October 1925 (New York and San Francisco), and January 1927 (New York and Boston), culminated in Casella being engaged to conduct the Boston Pops orchestral season each year from May to June between 1927-1929.

Read full preface > HERE