Massimiliano Damerini, Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma & Francesco La Vecchia - Sgambati: Sinfonia festiva & Piano Concerto (2023)

Giovanni Sgambati led the revival of Italian orchestral music during the late 19th century. He was a favourite student of Liszt, admired by Wagner, and a pivotal figure in the emancipation of his country’s music from the dominance of bel canto opera. The Piano Concerto in G minor is a stirring and inventive work signalling a new beginning for Italian piano music on the international stage. It offers a synthesis of the possibilities of the genre, evoking Liszt, Brahms and Tchaikovsky, as Sgambati constantly transforms his thematic material to heroic effect. Sinfonia festiva is a short, confidently written work inspired by the dance-like character of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

Tracklist
01. Sgambati: Sinfonia festiva
02. Sgambati: Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 15: I. Moderato maestoso
03. Sgambati: Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 15: II. Romanza. Andante sostenuto
04. Sgambati: Piano Concerto in G Minor, Op. 15: III. Allegretto animato