A Classic Encounter With Italy

(Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Last week Martha Gilmer and I started the 11th year of Classic Encounter with the fall season at the Symphony Center. Eat, drink, be merry, and hear some incredible music played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. That’s what we do. This first program of the season was honoring the great Gustav Mahler on the 100th anniversary of his death. In addition to being an amazing composer, he was also renowned for his skills as a conductor and music director. The last concert he put together and directed was a tribute to Italian composers. Mahler was a great advocate for contemporary musicians, and this gave him an opportunity to give exposure to music that was not often heard. One of the composers didn’t get his work to Mahler in time (no Saturday mail deliveries I guess), and Mahler, after a rehearsal, decided he didn’t like one of the symphonies scheduled, so he decided to add Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony #4, the Italian Symphony. Mendelssohn, like Mahler, was not Italian, but it was close enough. And good call because it’s a wonderful piece. For some reason Felix decided he didn’t like the piece, even though the performance in London was all the rage. He thought it was not “serious” enough, so never had it published until after his death. Go figure.

Mendelssohn, like Mahler, was deeply influenced by Italy. Who hasn’t. If you’ve ever visited that country could you find a bad meal? The food, architecture, landscape, sunshine and music makes the place magical. Add gelato and I don’t know why I don’t live there. So I decided to take a look at the influence of Italian culture on our lives here in the USA. We went from the ridiculous to the sublime. I started with Snookie. When the MTV Jersey Shore cast invaded Italy, it’s a miracle that they didn’t ban American tourists forever. Embarrassing.

It only gets better after this. I promise. Think Italian songs. Think O Sole Mio.
This is a most unusual chamber music rendition. Don’t try this at home.

And here’s Dean Martin with one of his many tributes to Italian culture. Rare video because you don’t see a drink in his hand.

While we’re on cool dudes in loose moods, don’t forget the amazing Louis Prima.

If you’ve ever attended a Classic Encounter session, you know I never ever get all the way through without a Beatle reference, but I had to really think hard for this one. Beatles…Italy. I remember one night in Rome, sitting on the Spanish Steps, listening to a group of young Italians play guitars and sing Beatle songs. But I had no way to record that magical evening. Finally I remembered the Beatles invaded that country in 1963, and found an interesting interview from that tour.

Then I remembered the Beatles actually sang in Italian on the Abbey Road album.

Since Martha can speak Italian, I asked for a translation. She picked up the amore reference. After all, according to the Beatles, all you need is amore. Actually, the “Italian” is John Lennon gibberish. He loved playing with words, and threw in a few he made up that sounded Italian or Spanish. Just to confuse everyone. He loved the big send-up.

Once I get started on the Beatles, I can’t stop myself. One more.

In a more contemporary example of Italian influence on our music, I referenced the Rome album by Danger Mouse and Daniel Luppi, their marvelous tribute to the “spaghetti western” soundtracks recorded in Italy. The day of our program I read that a filmmaker plans to make a film around that soundtrack. The cart before the horse but sounds interesting. Here’s an interesting film on this project.

Now let’s get to the actual Italian Symphony. Mendelssohn finished composing this work in 1833. It’s one of those pieces that may be familiar to you, even if you feel you don’t know much about classical music. It has been used in movies, and was often included in those box sets of classical greats. There’s a lot of dancing and joy in this music. Let’s hear the first movement.

Mendelssohn thought this was not good enough to publish! Wow. High standards. The 3rd movement has many wonderful moments, especially a marvelous part for French Horns, the Horn in F, about two and a half minutes into this piece. I played horn since 4th grade, and am quite partial to this beautiful instrument. When I first started playing the horn, the sound was compared to a bull moose in heat. Luckily I was too young to get that, but I kept practicing and ended up in Orchestra and a Mozart Horn Quartet. Great fun. But this movement is so beautiful and romantic…much like Italy.

Now I’m craving pasta for some reason. Gotta go. Enjoy the music. And those of you smart enough to sign up for Classic Encounter, see you in a few weeks.