Ottorino Respighi

Conservative in his musical style as in his politics – rightly or wrongly the whiff of Fascism hangs over his name – Ottorino Respighi is remembered today almost exclusively for the blazing triptych of Roman tone poems. He also, however, produced a corpus of chamber, keyboard and vocal works, not to mention operas and orchestral pieces, many of which are crying out to be rediscovered. Slowly they are finding their way into concert programmes and on to record, and this disc from the Ambache should bring three of them a well-deserved wider currency. The superb Piano Quintet in F minor occasionally recalls Franck (who wrote one in the same key), but its piano-dominated lyrical effusion is wholly individual. The substantial ten-minute first movement is inadequately balanced by a two-minute Andantino and four-minute scherzo-like Vivacissimo, however, and it is possible that a finale has somehow become detached.

After recordings of Beethoven’s complete symphonies, two Ravel albums, one Rautavaara album, and the award-winning album ‘Americascapes’, Robert Treviño now turns his focus on the symphonic poems by Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936).Together with the RAI National Symphony Orchestra Robert Treviño presents the composer’s famous Roman Trilogy, an exciting orchestral masterpiece culminating in the triumphant Pines of Rome.

With the present album, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege and John Neschling bring us the sixth and last instalment in a series that has been called 'the finest-ever survey of the composer's orchestral output undertaken by a single conductor' (BBC Music Magazine). The immense popularity of the Roman Trilogy has had the effect of obscuring many parts of Respighi's oeuvre, including arrangements of pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Another outstanding success for one of North America's most responsive orchestras, with playing not just brilliant, but relaxed and joyful.

La campana sommersa was one of Respighi’s most successful works. It is an interesting piece not the least because of its philosophical ambiguities. On the surface it appears to be a story of the conflict of orthodox Christian faith with older, more pagan beliefs as represented by the fairy folk: Ondine, the water sprite, the Faun (the spirit of the woods) and the heroine, Rautendelein, the elf-girl. Respighi confessed to having fallen in love with the character of Rautendelein. His wife, Elsa, observed that, in this opera, he revealed his predilection for the world of nature and fable. Respighi had a complex personality, torn between ascetic ideals, often reaching the domain of pantheistic mysticism and the sensual realities of the world.

These rarely heard works offer listeners an introduction to very different aspects of Respighi's orchestral oeuvre. The mighty "Metamorphoseon", a breathtaking symphonic interpretation of Bach's C minor Passacaglia, a suite on themes by Rossini as well as the world premiere recording of an early burlesque are performed by the Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Hanson.

Respighi followed his famous orchestral set of Antiche danze ed arie (transcriptions from lute tablature), with some for the piano. He also transcribed others: the first by the Genovese, Simone Molinaro, Balletto ditto il Conte Orlando bears a strong resemblance to the first movement of The Birds, as does the Gagliarda by Vincenzo Galileo (father of the famous scientist). Of the other pieces, the Notturno from the Six Pieces has a distinctly Rachmaninovian feel. The F minor Sonata (1897–8) is a rarity, and it is difficult to imagine a performance that is more persuasive than this—at any price level. Konstantin Scherbakov is a pianist of quality, combining the highest musicianship with sensitivity and refinement. He is excellently recorded too.

Respighi followed his famous orchestral set of Antiche danze ed arie (transcriptions from lute tablature), with some for the piano. He also transcribed others: the first by the Genovese, Simone Molinaro, Balletto ditto il Conte Orlando bears a strong resemblance to the first movement of The Birds, as does the Gagliarda by Vincenzo Galileo (father of the famous scientist). Of the other pieces, the Notturno from the Six Pieces has a distinctly Rachmaninovian feel. The F minor Sonata (1897–8) is a rarity, and it is difficult to imagine a performance that is more persuasive than this—at any price level. Konstantin Scherbakov is a pianist of quality, combining the highest musicianship with sensitivity and refinement. He is excellently recorded too.