Who’d have guessed that “Mr. Italy, Jr.” is a composer? For those of you unfamiliar with the reference, Stephen Perillo’s father, Mario, is a major tour operator and travel agent whose advertisements pepper the airwaves in the New York metropolitan area. Recently his composer son has gotten into the act, and like his father he seems like an amiable guy, at least on the tube. Actually, his compositions bear this out. Perillo is one of those rare artists who actually has a sense of humor, probably because he makes his living doing something else. His colorful, pop-influenced concert music sounds bright, breezy, and eclectically tuneful. Outstanding is Crushed Tomatoes, a cautionary musical fable in rondo form about the dangers of assuming that just because someone’s Italian, they must know how to make a good pasta sauce. It has a stubbornly memorable opening tune. Perillo’s Brass Symphony, a swinging, three-movement work that actually features the full orchestra in support of the title instruments, offers moods both playful and solemn, and lasts not a moment too long. The biggest work here, Lullaby for Orchestra, is anything but sleepy; rather, it’s an at times ferocious battle between violence and calm, with exhaustion finally winning out in the end. Requiem for a Goldfish certainly ranks, with Alkan’s Funeral March on the Death of Parrot, among the great memorial tributes to the family pet. It contains some impressive contrapuntal textures, and holds the listener’s interest right down to the final flush–er, note. The performances carry the imprimatur of the composer, and present this colorful, not-too-serious music in the most positive light. Perillo’s really a lot more entertaining than several heavy duty, ostensibly “serious” composers I could name. Great fun.
