1. NOVELLINA 00:02:05 THE NOVELLINA (1881) IS AN ANDANTINO IN A MAJOR, IN 3/4 TIME, CLEARLY HARMONIC AND MELODIC. BUILT IN THE FORM OF A ROMANCE (A-B-A) WITH A SMALL CODA, IT HAS A DANCING CHARACTER, WITH A VAGUELY POPULAR INCIPIT. SENTIMENTAL AND DELICATE, IT IS THE IDEAL ACCOMPANIMENT FOR INTIMATE AND EMOTIONAL SITUATIONS.

2. SULLE RIVE DI CHIAJA 00:01:26 SULLE RIVE DI CHIAJA (1882) IS AN ANDANTINO MOSSO IN D MINOR, A CANTABILE BARCAROLLE IN WHICH FAINT MENDELSSOHNIAN ECHOES CAN BE HEARD. IN THE CENTRAL PART, IN A RAPID SUCCESSION OF TREMOLOS CHARACTERISED BY A SLIGHTLY NEAPOLITAN MOOD, AND IN THE MELODIC PASSAGE IN OCTAVES, THE TYPICAL MASCAGNAN EMPHASIS CAN BE HEARD. A HEARTFELT AND MOVING THEME, FOR EMOTIONAL AND ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERES.

3. MIO PRIMO VALZER (ARR. A. SEIDEL) 00:09:15 MIO PRIMO VALZER (1887), A SIMPLE, JOYFUL SUITE, WITH SOMEWHAT RUSTIC MELODIC PATTERNS AND PRONOUNCED ACCOMPANIMENTS REMINISCENT OF THE OPEN AIR. RATHER UNUSUAL IS THE INTRO, WITH ITS CONTEMPLATIVE AND MELANCHOLY AIR. SUITABLE FOR VARIOUS ATMOSPHERES, FROM NOSTALGIC AND THOUGHTFUL TO FESTIVE AND CHEERFUL.

4. INTERMEZZO 00:03:14 IN 1888 MASCAGNI COMPLETED THIS INTERMEZZO FOR PIANO, OF RELIGIOUS INSPIRATION; ONCE ORCHESTRATED, THIS WAS TO BECOME THE FAMOUS INTERMEZZO OF CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA. ITS ATMOSPHERE, SIMILAR TO A DELICATE PRAYER, CALLS TO MIND SOLITARY MEDITATION, SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND PURE HOPES.

5. PIFFERATA DI NATALE 00:01:22 PIFFERATA DI NATALE (1890), A SIMPLE ANDANTINO IN 4/8, TASTEFULLY TRANSLATES THE TIMBRIC QUALITY OF THE FIFES AND BAGPIPES. PARTICULARLY INTERESTING ARE THE MELODIC ASYMMETRIES AND THE RARE F SHARP MAJOR IN THE CENTRE SECTION. THE FOLK-LIKE AURA OF THE MUSIC GIVES A SENSE OF MELANCHOLY AND NOSTALGIA.

6. TEMA DI ANDANTE 00:00:55 THIS TEMA DI ANDANTE (1900), WITH ITS CLEAR EMPHASIS ON THE HARMONY AND ITS REFINED STYLE, IS THE IDEAL ACCOMPANIMENT TO ELEGANT AND POLISHED ATMOSPHERES, WITH A SLIGHT TOUCH OF NOSTALGIA AND SWEET REMEMBRANCE.

7. LA GAVOTTA DELLE BAMBOLE 00:02:33 FOR THE PIANO VERSION OF LA GAVOTTA DELLE BAMBOLE (1900), MASCAGNI RETRIEVED THE CLASSICAL STRUCTURE OF THE GAVOTTA – TRIO – CODA, EVOKING THE COURTESY AND CHEER OF THE 18TH CENTURY WITHOUT THE IRONY AND DETACHMENT TYPICAL OF THE NEOCLASSICISM THAT FOLLOWED. THE RESULT IS AN ENJOYABLE AND CLEAR TRACK SUITABLE FOR ELEGANT AND RELAXED SITUATIONS, TO WHICH IT GIVES AN AURA OF SERENITY AND FAMILIARITY.

8. UN PENSIERO A SAN FRANCISCO (FRAMMENTO) 00:00:58 UN PENSIERO A SAN FRANCISCO (1903) IS A FRAGMENT CHARACTERISED BY AN ALMOST SONG-LIKE PROGRESSION AND A LESS REFINED HARMONIC PATTERN, AS A TRIBUTE TO THE DISILLUSIONED MELODICISM OF CUSTOMARY AMERICAN MUSIC. SIMPLE AND SOOTHING, WITH A TOUCH OF TENDERNESS AND NOSTALGIA.

9. NEW WORLD PROCESSIONAL (TRIUMPHAL MARCH) 00:03:11 NEW WORLD PROCESSIONAL (TRIUMPHAL MARCH) (1904) HAS POMPOUS AND TRIUMPHANT TRAITS, WHILE THE MELODIC NATURE DEVELOPS ALMOST IN THE FORM OF A SONG. AS IT UNFOLDS, THE LYRIC IS GRADUALLY MAGNIFIED UNTIL IT ENDS WITH A SONOROUS GRAND FINALE. THIS TRACK IS IDEAL FOR FESTIVE AND CHEERFUL ATMOSPHERES, WITHOUT FORGETTING HIS INSPIRATIONAL AND CELEBRATORY INTENTS.

10. LA PRIMA BAGNANTE (FRAMMENTO) 00:00:46 LA PRIMA BAGNANTE (1908), A FRAGMENT IN A SLOW WALTZ, WITH A FRENCH-STYLE ASCENDING MELODY IN D MAJOR, IS A PEACEFUL AND DREAMY TRACK, PERFECT FOR INTIMATE AND DELICATE ATMOSPHERES.

11. SUNT LACRYMAE RERUM! 00:02:49 SUNT LACRYMAE RERUM! HAS A POWERFUL EXPRESSIVE CONCENTRATION AND SOUNDS ALMOST AS A TINY REQUIEM. AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END, IN A LOW PROGRESSION OF TWELVE FULL DESCENDING CHORDS, EACH RESTING ON A DIFFERENT KEY, WE HEAR THE HARMONIC TENSION; THEN, IN THE CENTRE, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESSIONAL MELODY IN OCTAVES REVEALS A CANTABILE QUALITY. THIS TRACK EXPRESSES DEEP SADNESS AND SOLITUDE, LIKE A MEDITATION ON SUFFERING, AND CAN UNDERLINE ANY SOLEMN AND GRAVE MOMENT.

12. VISIONE LIRICA (LOOKING TO BERNINI’S SAINT TERESA IN THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA IN ROME) 00:04:36 VISIONE LIRICA. LOOKING TO BERNINI’S SAINT TERESA IN THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA IN ROME (1923) INSPIRES AN IDEAL MYSTICISM, BOTH SACRED AND PROFANE. THIS PIECE IS ARRANGED, IN A EMOTIONAL CRESCENDO, FROM A SLOW, PAINFUL INTRODUCTION IN WHICH WAGNERIAN AND RUSSIAN MEMORIES EMERGE, TO THE VIBRANT CONCLUSION, WITH A LONG CANTABILE LINE ACCOMPANIED BY TREMOLOS, ARPEGGIOS AND A PULSATING REPETITION OF CHORDS. HOPE, GROWTH, DOUBT AND, SOMETIMES, SERENITY ARE THE HALLMARKS OF THIS TRACK.

13. TOMINA (INTERMEZZO) 00:02:04 TOMINA (1930), A “QUASI-GAVOTTE-MARCH” IN F MAJOR, IS A SEQUENCE OF SMALL EPISODES IN DIFFERENT KEYS. THIS PIECE IS CHARACTERISED BY DISARMING HARMONIC-MELODIC SIMPLICITY, AS WELL AS A STYLE WITH A CERTAIN FRENCH AIR AND AN ANTE LITTERAM MINIMALISM, WHICH CAN ACCOMPANY INFORMAL OCCASIONS, CHEERFUL AND RELAXED ATMOSPHERES, PLAYFUL SITUATIONS.

14. SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE PER PIANOFORTE A 4 MANI - ADAGIO. ALLEGRO 00:09:40 THE SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE OPENS WITH A SLOW INTRO, A LINEAR ADAGIO IN A RATHER SENTIMENTAL KEY, WHILE THE TWO THEMES OF THE ALLEGRO SHOW LIVELINESS AND SLIGHTLY CONFLICTING CHARACTERS. THE DEVELOPMENT IS FAIRLY STEADY, WITH MINOR VARIATIONS OF EXPRESSION IN THE SECOND THEME AND AN EXTREMELY SONOROUS AND AFFIRMATIVE CODA. DELICATE AND GENTLE AT THE BEGINNING, THIS PIECE DEVELOPS IN A VIVACIOUS AND SLIGHTLY TRIUMPHAL MOOD.

15. SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE PER PIANOFORTE A 4 MANI - LARGHETTO 00:09:57 A GENTLE, CANTABILE QUALITY AND A FEW SENTIMENTAL VEINS CHARACTERISE THE RATHER WELL-DEVELOPED LARGHETTO IN 3/8 OF THE SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE. THIS PIECE IS THE IDEAL ACCOMPANIMENT TO EMOTIONAL, HEARTFELT AND INTENSE SITUATIONS.

16. SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE PER PIANOFORTE A 4 MANI - MINUETTO. ALLEGRETTO GRAZIOSO 00:02:57 IN THE MINUETTO OF THE SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE, THE SUGGESTION OF VIENNESE CLASSICISM IS POWERFUL, PARTICULARLY IN THE TRIO WALTZ, IN WHICH ONE CAN FAINTLY PERCEIVE AN ECHO OF SCHUBERT’S PIANO MUSIC. THIS VERY CLEAR AND ENJOYABLE PIECE SOUNDS PERFECTLY CRAFTED TO INSPIRE TRANQUILITY, JOY AND CHEERFULNESS.

17. SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE PER PIANOFORTE A 4 MANI - ALLEGRO MOLTO 00:08:33 THE VIRTUOSO ALLEGRO MOLTO FINALE OF THE SINFONIA IN FA MAGGIORE, WITH ITS EXASPERATED DYNAMICS AND INTENSE EXPRESSIVENESS, TENDS TO INSPIRE YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE, JOYFUL HURRY AND IMPETUOUS THEATRICALITY. PERFECT FOR ANIMATED AND EVER-CHANGING SCENARIOS.