Alfonso Alberti (piano), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI/ Arturo TamayoStradivarius STR 33824 ****

Long-lived Italian composer Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003) is famous for a series of concertos. But the early Piano Concerto (1936-39) is not part of that series. His celebrated concertos are all for orchestra without a separate soloist, so the Piano Concerto is a work that stands rather apart. The even longer-lived Elliott Carter, a friend for more than half a century, described Petrassi's work as "colourful, brilliant and interestingly orchestrated", words that are entirely apt for the three pieces recorded here. There's a joie de vivre that's hard to resist, even if there will doubtless be listeners who find the flavours of absorbed influences from Stravinsky and Hindemith too strong for their tastes. These Italian performances have a brio and immediacy that's entirely apt for the music. url.ie/7lbq