Over the years Quartet has done a splendid job in releasing excellent Rota scores I am still hoping we see a remastered disc of La Strada, a very fine score by the great Rota.
I assume you have mis-typed ... the title is La strada (1954: The Road)
This has become one of my all-time favourites but I'm not sure I'd bother with the film score (then again ...) as I'm taken with the concert suite of which I have 5 recordings.
And recently, I purchased a recording of the full ballet (based on the film score, from which the concert suite is derived). The suite lasts 28' - 30' approx. whilst the ballet has a runtime of 76'. As yet, I've listened to only the first half (sections I-V) three times ... absolutely wonderful!
Suite: Gianluigi Gelmetti/Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra/1991 Riccardo Muti/Filarmonica della Scala/1994 Marzio Conti/Orchestra Sinfonica del Teatro Massimo di Palermo/2002 - not yet played Josep Pons/Orquesta Ciudad de Granada/2004
+ on Blu-ray: Riccardo Chailly/Berliner Philharmoniker/23-Aug-11 [live]
Ballet: Giuseppe Grazioli/Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi/2014
Does anyone know how good is the Muti recording is, going cheap on eBay, just curious.
Different people - different tastes but to my ears, the Riccardo Muti/Filarmonica della Scala/1994 recording is exceedingly good despite being 30 years old. I know nothing of the careers of the other three conductors in my collection but Muti has been at the top of this profession re: the concert hall for many years and at that time was mid-career. The orchestra is also renown.
Of the four CD recordings this performance is slightly slower than the others but on my Hi-Fi it is crystal clear and I find no fault. It was my second and I found it a distinct improvement over the Gianluigi Gelmetti/Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra/1991 which I'd owned for many years. I didn't purchase the Muti CD specifically, it was one of the seven CDs in the Sony collection Riccardo Muti conducts Italian Masters and it was this recording which grabbed my attention (it led me to re-evaluate the Gelmetti recording which is fine, just not as involving).
Perhaps the Sony recording/mastering, etc. is superior to that of EMI.
The Muti CD includes the oft-recorded dance suite from Il gattopardo which, for me, has become more interesting over the years and Concerto for Strings of which I have no other recording (so can't compare).