Unia Rossaro & Longo: Pno Sonatas [CD]

The recording, entrusted to award-winning pianist Massimiliano Génot (who previously spearheaded the rediscovery of composers Federico Bufaletti [tc 860290] and Giuseppe Unia [tc 812101]), focuses on the romantic piano sonata in nineteenth-century Italy. The theme is particularly interesting because 19th-century Italian piano compositions remain largely unknown today, partly due to the overwhelming preponderance of opera and theatre music of the time, which already overshadowed any other musical genre. Massimiliano Génot's passionate interpretation does justice to these important compositions, which deserve careful consideration within the European piano landscape of the time. The compositions of Giuseppe Unia, Carlo Rossaro, and Alessandro Longo represent a wide-ranging synthesis of Italian tradition and influences from beyond the Alps, in which solid compositional technique and typically Italian expressiveness blend in a manner that is both natural and masterful.