"Best known for his operas, such as Cyrano de Bergerac, and for finishing Puccini's Turandot, Franco Alfano is much less recognized as a symphonist. Yet his two works in this genre deserve some consideration as examples of that rare species in composition, the Italian symphony. Postromantic in expression and extremely vivid in orchestration, Alfano's turbulent Symphony No. 1 is about as operatic as a symphony can get. His score is so intensely passionate and feverish, the listener must surrender to the drama as it plays out through strongly contrasted moods and nearly programmatic scene painting. The Symphony No. 2 starts out in a more lyrically pastoral vein, but it quickly assumes the same tension and urgency of the previous work; it similarly compels a suspension of expectations in its theatricality and insistent rhetoric. These pieces are vibrantly performed here and fans of orchestral opulence will relish the glorious sound in CPO's fine reproduction." (Blair Sanderson, Allmusic)
"Alfano’s chamber music is receiving deserved recognition. The Violin Sonata is a powerful and impressive work, with elements of French impressionism, but essentially post-romantic in ethos. The Piano Quintet was Alfano’s last chamber work, premiered in 1946, and a compelling example of his belief in resilient lyricism, as well as a rejection of contemporary atonal music. The previous release in this series of the Cello Sonata and Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano (Naxos 8.570928) was praised for its “razor-edged accuracy, passion, and insight.” (Fanfare)." (prestomusic.com)
"The Neapolitan composer Franco Alfano was prolific and highly successful in the field of opera, but he also composed three string quartets over a period framed by the two world wars. No. 1 in D major was written during the First World War and stretches the limits of the quartet medium with its quasi-orchestral vigour, tied together with a habanera rhythm. No. 2 in C major In Three Linked Movements, though smaller in scale, reflects the range of Alfano’s influences, which include Russian and Eastern European music, rustic dances and French impressionism. Work on No. 3 in G minor was started in 1944, a year after the death of his beloved wife, to whom Alfano pays tribute in the haunting first movement. The quartet was completed in 1945 and ends with an ebullient monothematic march finale celebrating Ancient Rome." (prestomusic.com)
"Edmond Rostand's play has been the source of many films. Now joining the list is Franco Alfano's operatic setting of Rostand's play. Thanks to the efforts of tenor superstars Placido Domingo and Robert Alagna, Alfano's rather obscure 1936 opera has been rediscovered. But before Domingo could unveil his Cyrano at the Metropolitan Opera in the spring of 2005, Alagna--with the help of his brothers, David and Frederico--had already mounted a production in Montpellier. It is this version, filmed in July 2003, which has just been released on DVD by Deutsche Grammophon.Alagna--sporting a particularly elaborate but astonishingly life-like prosthetic nose--has captured the nuance of Alfano's understated score to great effect. This, coupled with his sensitivity to the text and the clarity of his French diction, has resulted in some of his best work to date. The French-born tenor has called Cyrano the "role of a lifetime," and his enthusiasm and conviction are apparent." (Opera Canada, volg link voor complete tekst)
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