I received the new Naxos disc yesterday and can concur that the Symphony is a splendid work with claims to be the finest 20th century Italian symphony. Goodness knows what the Japanese made of it in 1940; it cannot have been what they were wanting or expecting! It is a troubled and often rather grim work. Is this the best performance we could get? I am not quite sure of that but it may well be the only one we shall have for a long time (unless Chandos and Noseda go for it?). It is absolutely astonishingly that we have had to wait for well over half a century to hear it in proper sound!
When the Chandos Noseda series was first announced, Pizzetti was promised. So far nothing. The Naxos CD is great to have but, it seems to me, there is still certain orchestral detail (e.g. certain pianissimo counterpoint by the strings in the first movement) that might get greater clarity in a different version. It took 77 years to get the Naxos CD following the release of the original 1940s 78 discs. I would welcome a second version if I live long enough to see it released!
