Martin Roscoe (piano), BBC Philharmonic Orchestra/ Gianandrea NosedaChandos CHAN 10712 ****

The landmark concerto for orchestra is Bartók's, written in 1943. But there were earlier ones, by his colleague Kodály in Hungary) (1940), and Hindemith in Germany (1925). Italian composer Alfredo Casella's1937 Concerto for orchestra, on disc for the first time, was commissioned for the 50th anniversary of Amsterdam's Concertgebouw Orchestra. It's in mostly upbeat, garrulous, 1930s style, and is at its best in its darker, central Passacaglia. The brooding A notte alta (1917), originally for solo piano, has an atmospheric orchestration that retains a solo part for piano. As conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, the symphonic fragments from the opera La donna serpente, first performed in 1932, whet the appetite for more. url.ie/f1f2