A good sample of Salieri's instrumental music plus a rarity
11/03/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The two concertos are worth lisenting although not masterpices. The second in the disk is better. Spada's playing is delicate and precise although the tempi in both finales is rather slow. Not to be compared with those concertos by Mozart but good. The overture to "Les Horaces" is beautifully composed in a Gluckian style. Its final subject heard by the end is very inspired and heroic. The overture to "Semiramide" (presented as to either "La Secchia Rapita" or "Il Ricco di un Giorno" -I can not remember exactly- in other Salieri's CD) is less interesting and Spada's slow tempo reinforces the mediocrity of the piece.The main course of this recording (the rarity) is the orchestral "Variazioni sulla la Folia d'Spagna" based on a famous Spanish tune previously used by Corelli inter alia. The variations scarcely depart from the original subject but the employment of the symphonic orchestra is remarkable. Good parts for solo violin, harp(s) and woodwinds. One variation is "funeral" in tone, using trombones, but has a comic flute quotation on top. Other is a beautiful "pastoral" or "siciliana" with good parts for oboe and clarinet. This is the last work composed by Salieri (1815).A very good CD and not only for those interested in the "obscure" Salieri."
Forgotten melodies
Jill Malter | jillmalter@aol.com | 08/12/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Salieri's works have been forgotten to a large extent. Still, I like some of them, with my favorite being his piano concerto in C.
Of course, some listeners may want to wonder about the influence of Salieri on many other composers, including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Lizst. Salieri wasn't as good as any of these four. His works were simpler in many respects, especially when it came to harmonizing. But Salieri's style was different as well, and it included some surprising, tricky, and beautiful variations on his themes. He's not just an inferior version of the other composers of his time.
This might be a good time to forget what we saw of Salieri in the movie Amadeus. And maybe to forget that Beethoven liked Salieri. And to just listen to the music.
Spada is a very good performer and these are good performances, but I have the feeling that a little more could be made of these concertos and their cadenzas."
A Master often Over looked
10/11/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow. The two piano Concertos are wonderful. Sometimes Salieri has been played as being envious of Mozart. But this recording show a master at his very best. I really like the final movement of both Concertos. It puts one at peace with everything. I would reconmend this CD to anyone who want to get to know the music of Salieri. Every note was just where it needed to be. It is a shame that most of his works did not last up to our day. However the only two Concertos that we have today are worth listening to."
Charming and slight
Eric Cook | 11/09/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Pietro Spada has done a fine job of presenting Salieri with dignity and breadth, but perhaps a little too much of each. The finest works on the cd are the Les Horaces Overture and the Variations on La follia da Spagna. Both are well suited to Spada's rich romantic treatment and the clean and lush orchestral playing. The Variations were conceived by Salieri as a text-book of orchestral color, and they do not disappoint (especially considering the dates of composition and publication, 1815-1818). Sadly the focus is almost soley on tone color and the variations themselves seldom move far beyond the initial statement of the theme - but the creative use of the orchestra is pleasing and at times highly original. The overture to Les Horaces is truly bold and heroic and can been seen as a bridge from Gluck to Beethoven. Its brassy theme and shifting moods conjure up excitement and pathos. The overture to Semiramide, which Salieri also paired with a comic opera, here suffers terribly under the slow tempo and dramatic interpretation Spada intends as majestic and regal? Also, the two piano concerti, early works by Salieri, a composer who generally shunned instrumental composition, give pleasure but lack depth; they could also use a little less gravity. A charming cd with lovely surprises, and really fine playing, but one that suffers from some interpretive overstatement."