Pianist David Witten will perform on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m., in Leshowitz Recital Hall at Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave. Admission is free.
Witten, who is head of piano studies at the Cali School, will play music by Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968).
According to a release, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s ancestry traces back to a Sephardic Jewish family that escaped the Spanish Inquisition of 1492. After fleeing Spain and arriving in Italy, they changed their name from the Spanish Castilla Nueva (New Castle) to its Italian equivalent, Castelnuovo.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco himself had to flee Italy with his family when the Fascists enforced their anti-Semitic Racial Laws of 1938.
He worked, largely uncredited, in Hollywood, writing soundtracks for more than 200 films.
Witten’s program will include “Le Stagioni,” Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s musical depiction of the four seasons, and also his “Sonatina Zoologica,” a rarely performed work based on the characteristics of winged and creeping creatures. For information, contact wittend@montclair.edu, or call 973-655-4379.