The Italian Intermezzo BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Francesco Cilea (1866-1950) Adriana Lecouvreur Intermezzo, Act II Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Manon Lescaut  Intermezzo, Act III Alfredo Catalani (1854-1893) Loreley  Dance of the Water Nymphs Giacomo Puccini Suor Angelica Intermezzo Umberto Giordano (1867-1948) Siberia Prelude to Act II Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-1886) La Gioconda Dance of the Hours Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) L'Amico Fritz  Intermezzo Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) La traviata  Prelude to Act III Giacomo Puccini Edgar  Prelude to Act I  Prelude to Act III  Alfredo Catalani La Wally  Prelude to Act III Intermezzo  Prelude to Act IV Intermezzo  Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) I Quattro Rusteghi  Intermezzo Jewels of The Madonna  Intermezzo Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919) I Pagliacci  Intermezzo Umberto Giordano  Fedora  Intermezzo to Act II CD and Download Music without Words These orchestral intermezzi are, in the main, mood-painting interludes found in the great Italian operatic repertoire of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, usually connecting acts in the opera. The music is powerfully atmospheric, designed not only to create the right mood for the ensuing action of the opera, but also to provide some respite from the drama itself. The exception is the famous ‘Dance of the Hours’ from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, which like most ballets found in operas represents a break for the audience to enjoy the dance sequence. The piece was immortalised in Walt Disney’s film Fantasia and has long been one of the classics of the repertoire. Gianandrea Noseda is in his element in music from his native Italy, conducting the BBC Philharmonic in a unique programme.   Reviews  'Anyone new to Romantic Italian Opera will enjoy a sampler par excellence and those who adore the full works will relish these tasty nibbles of their wonderful qualities.’ Colin Anderson, Classical Source, January 2010