Kreisler Naxos

Naxos’s Historical series continues at a dizzying rate. They are certainly to be applauded for re-issuing famous existing recordings at super budget price, as well as unearthing other treasures from the archives. The present release is particularly valuable, as it is, as far as I know, the first complete cycle of the Beethoven Violin Sonatas to be recorded. The fact that it features one of the most influential musicians of the early 20th Century makes it especially welcome.

Ottorino Respighi - Concerto all'antica, Ancient Airs & Dances Suites Nos. 1-3 (2021) {Naxos NX3901, Salvatore Di Vittorio}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Official Digital Download -> 377 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 195 Mb
Full Artwork (jpg+pdf) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2021 Naxos Records | NX 3901
Classical / Orchestral / Concerto / Early 20th Century

The major news from this release by the Chamber Orchestra of New York under Salvatore Di Vittorio is the Respighi Concerto all'Antica for violin and orchestra, which here receives its world premiere. The work has an interesting history, presented here in a note co-authored by one Norberto Cordisco Respighi, perhaps the composer's nephew. Somewhat resembling the phony Baroque violin works of Fritz Kreisler stylistically, it was presented in 1909 by Respighi as a "Concerto in an Ancient Style by an Anonymous Composer, revised and orchestrated by Ottorino Respighi," who later fessed up to being the anonymous composer and said that he was having a bit of fun at the expense of German critics.

Rachmaninov was not only a brilliant pianist but also a composer, like Franz Liszt in an earlier century. They both demonstrated their talents in these areas by taking well known pieces by other composers and arranging them for concert performance on the piano. On this Naxos CD, Turkish pianist Idil Biret plays a dozen of these pieces that were worked on by Rachmaninov. One of the pieces is Liszt's own famous Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in c sharp minor, with the addition of a cadenza by Rachmaninov.