Bela Itália

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In the spring of 1886, a young Richard Strauss took a trip across Italy that represented a turning point in his creative journey. It gave rise to the symphonic fantasy “Aus Italien” (From Italy), the first programmatic orchestral composition by what was to become a key master of this genre. It is a musical description of some places that especially stirred Strauss's emotions, from the fields and ruins of Rome to the beach at Sorrento and the Naples region. The work of the Italian Respighi in the programme is also based on an external suggestion: four religious episodes represented in the stained-glass window of a church. This concert that brings “Ano Itália” to an end, begins with the famous overture “Le Carnaval Romain” by Berlioz, in which the allusion to popular festivities is made with the contagious rhythm of the “saltarello”, a popular dance with roots in the Middle Ages.