Riccardo Muti / La Scala Philharmonic : Conducts Italian Masters (7CD)

During Riccardo Muti's 19-year tenure as La Scala's music director, his relationship with the Filarmonica della Scala extended beyond the opera pit. The 7-CD set Riccardo Muti conducts Italian Masters celebrates their shared Italian heritage with a mixture of much-loved Verdi overtures, modern classics from Nino Rota (uniformly stunning - AllMusic Guide) and enticing works from the turn of the century by the likes of Casella, Martucci and Busoni (on an album successful in every respect, according to Gramophone). Busoni's Turandot Suite (like the orchestral works also released here by operatic composers Ponchielli, Catalani and Puccini) is perfectly suited to an orchestra and conductor at home in both dramatic and symphonic repertoires.