On vacation in Italy in 1903, English composer Edward Elgar wrote a friend, “Music is in the air. It’s everywhere--you only have to take as much of it as you need for your inspiration.”
Indeed, for northern Europeans, Italy was not only a winter haven, but a land filled with song and dance.
In this hour, five works inspired by the music, people and scenery of Italy--by Elgar, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, and Richard Strauss.
FEATURED RECORDINGS
| Title | Group/Artist | Catalog # | UPC |
| Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 | London Symphony Orchestra, Abbado | DGG 415 974-2 | 028941597427 |
| Italy After Dark: “Bella Ragazza dalle Trecce Bionde” | Carlo Buti | EMI 07777800232 | 077778002321 |
| Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien | RCA Victor Symphony, Kondrashin | BMG 09026-63302-2 | 090266330225 |
| Berlioz: Harold en Italie | Frankfurt Radio Symph, Inbal; Bashmet, viola | Denon CO-73207 | 081757320726 |
| Elgar Overtures: In the South | Scottish National Orchestra, Gibson | Chandos CHAN 8309 | 095115830925 |
| At His Best: “Faniculi, Fanicula” | Mario Lanza | BMG 09026-68130-2 | 828767162522 |
| Strauss: Aus Italien: . “Neapolitanisches Volksleen” | Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosler | Naxos 8.550342 | 4891030503427 |
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