Theatrical Atmospheres for Organ four hands

Among the pieces presented in this disc we can distinguish two threads. On the one hand, the works by Bellini, Donizetti and Mozart are ascribed to the overture form, “reappraised” in the range of the organ and drawn from the original version for orchestra. On the other hand, the works by Rossini are occasional pieces: the Marcia for the Turkish sultan Abdul Madjid was composed by Rossini as a mark of gratitude for having been awarded the Order of Nicham-Iftihar, and the Petite fanfare belongs to the Péchés de vieillesse, composed in the period in which Rossini lived in Paris, after having abandoned the stage; they are a genuine manifesto of transgression, satire, retaliation, hints, jokes, innuendoes, irony and provocation – the last roar of the lion who had been “the lord and master of music” and who had proclaimed: “Musical creativity is entirely in my hands and I can do what I please with it”. The organ here is the indisputable protagonist, not for a mere reproduction of orchestra or piano music, but as a means for expressing nuances, blends, tones, effects, evocations and magic atmospheres: this immense possibility is the foundation of its greatness.