Of the available CDs, I prize THE LEOPARD and 8 1/2 above all. THE LEOPARD (IL GATTO PARDO) is more conventional sounding as opposed to the bouncy style of the Fellini scores (though it does have a number of waltzes and galops), but I simply adore it.

This is followed then by JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (GIULIETTA DEGLI SPIRITI) whose cue 'Faccette Scintillanti' might be the best 2 minutes Rota ever composed.

I like ROMEO AND JULIET but the theme gets repeated too much. The score has one amazing cue though: 'Feast at the House of Capulet'.

Still, I much prefer Rota's TAMING OF THE SHREW score (on DRG) with its jaunty main theme though it has songs and nothing as romantic as R&J.

CASANOVA, which Dylan praised so highly, isn't bad, it strikes me as very operatic sounding for a film score (not a bad thing), but it doesn't strike me as as great as he considers it (probably time for a re-listen).

I like Rota's WAR AND PEACE score but the Varese CD is OOP and its 50s recording sound seemed as if the orchestra was playing down at the bottom of a well.

I'm also fond of the score to ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS.

The rest of Rota (LA STRADA, AMARCORD, SATYRICON, WATERLOO, HURRICANE, etc.) is all good, passable stuff.

You can't really go wrong with buying any Rota score. In fact, the only scores by Rota I was ever really disappointed by were linked together on a single CAM CD: IT HAPPENED AT THE PENITENTIARY/A HERO FOR OUR TIMES. Neither was much good. The rest of Rota has always had something going for it.

Hope this helps.

It was very great of you to help Marian out further. Well Marian, it looks like these are the Rota cds you should pick up next:

The Leopard
Tutto Fellini (2 disks)
8 1/2
The Godfather Part 2

After listening to 'Tutto Fellini,' you'll certainly know where to go next.

(on Casanova) Lou, I believe there were only around 5 cues of the 19 on the album that utilized a chorus and/or singer. Most of these are in the middle of the album, so I guess you could call that portion a mini opera (but a Rota-esc opera, none the less, and it's perfectly welcome in a score as otherworldly as Il Casanova). However, Rota's two themes for the mechanical bird, the enchanting glass harmonica and harpscicord cues, the music box themes/waltzes, etc. certainly don't sound operatic. But I'm sure you were refering to the portion of cues spread throughout the middle of an album...I know what you mean though...it's not common to hear anything of the sort in a film score, but (as you know) Rota can be completely unpredictable.

Lou, how is Rota's Hurricane, by the way. I'll be getting it eventually anyway, but I'm curious to hear more about it, as that score is never talked about (of course, anything by Rota is really never discussed on film score message boards, and it's great that a Rota discussion has started on this board). Do you have any of the very last scores Rota wrote (Ernesto, Death on the Nile, Ten to Survive, etc...of course, Hurricane was one of his last as well)? If so, how are they? Thanks.

Best Regards,
Dylan

Thank you for your mini review of Rota's "Hurricane;" I can't wait to hear it. The cd of "Hurricane" is paired with Rota's "The Sea Wall," so this should be an excellent disk. What about Rota's "The Abdictation," have you heard that?

To answer your question about Rota's concert work, I unfortunately have yet to hear any of it. I looked at a lot of the Rota concert albums available (on the online sites Amazon, Tower, Barnes and Noble, etc.), and I think the ones I would like to get are the ones that Rota conducted himself (but those seem to be rare/out of print). Anybody on this board have any recommendations, or a list of cds that include Rota-conducted performances of the concert works?

Marian: what Rota cd have you decided you will pick up next?

Take care.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dylan:
Marian: what Rota cd have you decided you will pick up next?

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It still might be in print, but it was manufactured by the Legend label in Italy, so it would be hard to find in the US. www.footlight.com has a few copies, and it's one that shows up on eBay from time to time.