Rapsodia Satanica - Il Gattopardo Score Original Soundtrack

The highlight here is certainly the Mascagni Rapsodia Satanica. It is a substantial suite of music from the 1917 film containing much gorgeous music. It is very well played here and reasonably well recorded. The Rota is a much more meager selection from the 1963 film Il Gattopardo. It has been recorded before by the likes of Riccardo Muti to better effect, due largely to SONY's more opulent sound. Here, it sounds less inspired than the Mascagni and feels like an afterthought just to fill up the disc. One wonders if a more suitable (and even more generous) coupling could have been chosen.The recording is clear and full, if not terribly flattering to the orchestra. As often with Capriccio, the acoustic is a bit stark and the soundstage could benefit from a bit more sonic luster and allure. However, don't let this minor quibble deter its purchase. This disc is certainly worth it for the generous Mascagni offering - over 40 minutes of fairly rare music, even if the Rota leaves one feeling a bit short-changed. Frank Strobel is an effective advocate.

Both movie soundtracks are top quality music by famous composers.

Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) remains controversial some 50 years after its initial release. To some it is a towering masterpiece, a visually stunning, meticulously constructed evocation of the changing social and political order in 19th century Italy, primarily Sicily. To others, it is an interminable ordeal predicated on the slenderest of narrative threads. There is consensus on one element: the excellence of Rota’s score which showcases the composer’s melodic gift and uncanny ability to clarify and enhance the images on the screen. Maestro Strobel utilizes a suite assembled by Ricardo Muti which is roughly 15 minutes in duration. Italian opera composer, Pietro Mascagni composed the score for Rapsodia Satanica, a 1917 film dealing with a 20th century twist on the ancient Faust myth. Like several of his contemporaries, e.g. Saint-Saens and Hindemith, Mascagni was intrigued by the rapidly evolving film medium and the opportunities it afforded composers both artistically and financially. The music Mascagni provided is highly sophisticated. It’s intricately worked out to precisely mirror the shifting arc and tone of the narrative, a skill Mascagni had clearly developed in the realm of opera. The suite played here is nearly 47 minutes and worthwhile from an aesthetic perspective as well as a purely historical one. The 88 members of the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz do a fine job in bringing to life these 2 scores which are separated by nearly 50 years. Plaudits to Maestro Strobel for his efforts in guiding this project to fruition. The sound pickup is resonant and detailed. The liner notes are informative although slightly compromised by a less than ideal translation.

Pietro Mascagni shot to fame in 1890 with the first performance of his one-act opera Cavelleria Rusticana. The work's premiere caused a sensation and was soon being performed all over the world. He never repeated that success, although several of his other operas were moderately successful.Rapsodia Satanica is a silent film directed by Nino Oxilia. It was premiered during a symphony concert in 1915. Mascagni's score plays continuously although divided into three parts, and lasts just over 45 minutes. Apparently the premiere audience regarded it as a tone poem accompanied by moving pictures rather than watching a film with music. The story concerns an elderly Countess, who sells her soul to the Devil in exchange for the restoration of her beauty, providing she renounces love. Eventually, after a storyline involving two brothers, she breaks her pact with the Devil and dies.The work is scored for a large orchestra with distinct overtones of Wagner. I found the music has grown on me after several playings. The rest of the cd is filled with a suite by Nino Rota for the film Il Gattopardo of 1969. The five movments were compiled from the complete score by the Italian conductor Riccsrdo Muti.The performances seem entirely idiomatic and the recorded sound is gorgeous. Thoroughly recommended.

Great music. Rapsodia Satanica is perhaps Mascagni's greatest non-operatic work. The film can be seen on YouTube. Not however the best available performance of the Rota.

E' importante sapere che Pietro Mascagni fu il primo compositore al mondo di colonne sonore per il cinema. Fu il primo cioè che guardando le sequenze del film per centinaia di volte con una moviola "primordiale", componeva in tempo reale la musica. Diede ad ogni personaggio un tema musicale ed in alcuni pezzi sinfonici fece risaltare una melodia innovativa e, per quell'epoca , molto originale. L'abbinamento con la colonna sonora de "Il Gattopardo" composta da Nino Rota sottolinea quanto Rota e poi Morricone e Piovani abbiano preso dalla musica da film di Mascagni. CD bellissimo!

Mascagni est un compositeur génial,trop méconnu.IL n ' est pas l ' homme d' une seule oeuvre fût -elle Cavalleria Rusticana.Ce disque en est la preuve éclatante.