The Opera Discovery label is delighted to present these world-premiere recordings of works by Italian composer Italo Montemezzi.

Montemezzi was born in Vigasio, near Verona, on 4 August 1875 and studied at the Conservatory in Milan with Vincenzo Ferroni. He wrote a number of operas, including: Giovanni Gallurese (1905), L'Hellera (1909), L'amore dei tre re (1913), La nave (1918), La notte di Zoraima (1931), L'incantesimo (1943). Other non-operatic works include the symphonic poem Paolo e Virginia and the cantata Il cantico dei cantici. A cultured and refined musician, he skilfully fused Italian veristic melody with the harmonic and orchestral innovations of Wagner and, to a lesser extent, Debussy and Strauss, and realised his operas with a confident theatrical sense. Montemezzi died in Vigasio on 15 May 1952.

The Symphony in E minor is an early work, datable to the early 20th century and never published. It is speculated that it was performed by the composer as part of a private party with an audience of friends and relatives, but of this there is no certainty. Casually found in the autumn of 2000, thanks to the patient work of Maestro Enzo Ferraris and Maestro Marco Pasetto it was reconstructed, corrected and finally performed in June 2002.

The Serenata 'A ti hermosa' was composed in 1943, during Montemezzi's long American sojourn. Nothing is known about the reasons why it was written, perhaps in the author's intentions it was a soundtrack for a film.

The symphonic poem Italia mia! Nulla fermerà il tuo canto dates from 1944 and is an authentic hymn of love for Italy. A little emphatic, it is very pleasant to listen to, particularly noteworthy is the care expressed in the use of flock bells in the finale of the score.