Musa Italiana celebrates the influence of the “Italian style” on three Austro-German composers: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony (No. 4 in A major) was composed during a 10-month Grand Tour of Italy. It draws inspiration from the county’s natural beauty, culture, and music. By the late 1810s, the musical innovations of Gioachino Rossini had taken Vienna by storm and clearly had a profound effect on Schubert in his two Overtures in the Italian Style. Visits to Italy early in his life proved formative in Mozart’s musical development. The overtures to Mitridate, Ascanio in Alba, and Lucio Silla were all originally premiered in Milan.
Musa Italiana: Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn – La Scala Philharmonic, Riccardo Chailly
