Musa Italiana

From Bach to Elgar and Handel to Stravinsky, composers from around the world have been in thrall to Italian culture for centuries. In Musa Italiana, Riccardo Chailly and the Orchestra of La Scala bring out the Italian spirit in three major Germanic composers, beginning with the thrumming accompaniment and irrepressible, exuberant opening theme of Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony instantly evoking the sun-drenched, bustling streets of Naples. Schubert’s two lesser-known Overtures in the Italian Style are unexpectedly effervescent homages to the great Italian operatic composer Rossini. For Mozart, Italian was the language of many of his greatest operas, and his overtures to Mitridate, Ascanio in Alba and Lucio Silla were all written while the composer was staying in Milan.