ERMANNO WOLF-FERRARI (1876-1948): Suite veneziana, Op. 18, Triptychon in E, Op. 19, Divertimento in D, Op. 20, Arabesken in E Minor, Op. 22.

Description: Almost all of the composer’s orchestral music dates from his final years and occupies a different expressive realm. The Suite veneziana resonates with melancholy, and the Triptychon is a contemplative, passionate masterpiece of orchestration. Subtle use of counterpoint transforms the Divertimento into a playful exploration of themes, while Arabesken pays tribute to an old friend, the Venetian painter Ettore Tito (1859–1941). His own elegantly simple melody, known as ‘Tito’s theme’, is turned by Wolf-Ferrari into a sequence of sumptuous orchestral variations culminating in a powerful fugue. Oviedo Filarmonía; Friedrich Haider. Original 2010 Philartis release (offered in our March 2010 catalogue - 03L073).