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Cataldo: Opere per orchestra - Pololáník

Cataldo: Opere per orchestra - Pololáník

Aion Techni  AT-SACD-1001

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical


Cataldo: Preludio sinfonico, Fantasia, Piccola reminiscenza, Sospiro elaborato, Notturno, Leggenda n.1 per orchestra

Leoš Zavadilík (violin)
Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra
Petr Pololáník (conductor)


The six world premiere works [of] composer Giacomo Cataldo were performed by the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Petr Pololáník and features violin soloist Leoš Zavadilík. Recorded live in Zlín.

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Review by Graham Williams - August 16, 2011

Aion Techni is the name of a new independent classical label based in Canada and this 5.1 multi-channel hybrid SACD is their first release. It is gratifying to read that they are “committed to producing recordings of the highest quality and making use of the most advanced technology available.” The exceptionally vivid and realistic sound quality on this disc attests to the success of the recording engineer Mark Donahue in achieving that aim.

The music on this disc, entitled simply ‘Opere per Orchestra’ (Works for Orchestra), is by the 34 year-old composer Giacomo Cataldo. I confess that his name was new to me, and even Cataldo’s own well designed website http://www.giacomocataldo.com provides scant information about his background.

The six orchestral works that make up this collection were composed over the past 5 years and, as recently as June 2010, were given their world premier performances by the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra at the House of Artists in the town of Zlín in the Czech Republic. The whole of this concert can be watched and heard from links to youtube on the website mentioned above or directly at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=giacomo+cataldo&aq=f, which will allow readers of this review to make up their own minds as to whether Cataldo’s music and this SACD is for them.

Cataldo’s style is eclectic, showing influences from music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is immediately accessible and most definitely not avant-garde. Each one of the six works presented here seems to be bursting with an abundance of musical ideas, though the majority of these compositions are simply not long enough for these ideas to be developed sufficiently. There is no doubt that Cataldo possesses considerable skill in writing for the orchestra. His tonal palette is extensive and his orchestrations colourful and imaginative. The poetic titles of each of the six pieces suggest extra-musical stimuli for their creation and it would not be fanciful to imagine Cataldo building a successful career as a film composer.

The Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra under Petr Pololaník perform this music with enthusiasm and commitment, while the violinist Leoš Zavadilík is the sweet-toned soloist in both the richly melodic ‘Fantasia’ and ‘Piccola reminiscenza’.

As I have already indicated, the 5.1 surround recording is outstanding. The fine acoustic of the recording venue has been most successfully captured, and the sound has both great presence and stunning impact. It should be mentioned that on the SACD recording, there is no applause and almost no extraneous noise. What little there is, the occasional creak of a chair or rustle of a page being turned, only adds to the sense of ‘being there’.

It is to be hoped that any future issues from Aion Techni will be of this exceptional technical quality.

Recommended.

Copyright © 2011 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Multichannel):

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