RAFFAELE BELLAFRONTE (b.1961): Il labirinto dell'anima for Piccolo and String Orchestra, Discantus for Violin and Orchestra, Zeit for Bassoon and String Orchestra, Murales for Soprano Saxophone and String Orchestra.

Description: These succinct, concentrated concerti are written in a thoroughly accessible, tonal idiom, and to some extent follow the conventions of the traditional solo vehicle, with the solo instrument carrying much of the argument in sections or movements of contrasting character. Typically, the soloist sets the mood of a passage, which is taken up by the ensemble, and lively, often somewhat combative dialogue ensues. Slow, mysterious passages recall Bartókian night music, while a tendency toward rhythmically incisive fast music of a brittle, ironic flavor hints at the Shostakovich of, say, the 9th Symphony. Patrick De Ritis (bassoon), Francesco D'Orazio (violin), Nicola Mazzanti (piccolo), Federico Mondelci (sax), Wiener Concert-Verein; Dirk Vermeulen.