Cinema italiano

Cinema italiano (2026)

for chamber orchestra

2 fl; 2 ob; 2 cl; 2 bsn
2 hn; 2 tpt
timp, perc
strings

Duration: c. 18 minutes

Programme note:

Cinema italiano for chamber orchestra is a tribute to the great tradition of Italian cinema from the end of the Second World War to the 1980s.

The suite brings together music by Nino Rota, Renzo Rossellini, Manuel De Sica and Ennio Morricone, written for films by some of Italy’s most celebrated directors: Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica and Giuseppe Tornatore.

The selection reflects a personal response to films that have left a profound impression both on the compiler and on the history of world cinema. Together, these works capture the lyricism, humanity and emotional depth that define Italian film at its most enduring.

The films featured in the suite are:

Rocco e i suoi fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers, 1960)
Director: Luchino Visconti; music: Nino Rota

Roma città aperta (Rome, Open City, 1945)
Director: Roberto Rossellini; music: Renzo Rossellini

Il giardino dei Finzi Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, 1970)
Director: Vittorio De Sica; music: Manuel De Sica

La Dolce Vita (1960)
Director: Federico Fellini; music: Nino Rota

Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore; music: Ennio Morricone

Charlie Barber, May 2026