Respighi Piano

Liya Petrova presents here the first instalment of a double diptych, featuring two rarely recorded works: Walton’s Violin Concerto (1938) with a prestigious British orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Duncan Ward, and Respighi’s Violin Sonata (1917) with her regular keyboard partner Adam Laloum. The shimmering harmonic palette and the vigorously phrased lyricism of these two works respond almost instinctively to each other and make them a natural coupling.

Opera in miniature, Pictures at an Exhibition for violin and piano, French ‘grand salon’ ambience—made in Italy. It is challenging to find the find words descriptive of Ottorino Respighi’s oeuvre recently recorded on Genuin by Ilona Then-Bergh and pianist Michael Schäfer. There can be no doubt as to their wide stylistic range, rich tonal colors calling Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy to mind, and the sheer quality of the works in terms of ……

“How it all began…” This is one possible title for the third (and thus unfortunately final) GENUIN release by Ilona Then-Bergh and Michael Schäfer performing works of Ottorino Respighi for violin and piano. First the two play a three-movement sonata fragment composed by Respighi at the tender age of 18 and also (here, too, unfortunately!) left unfinished… After this performance, the two outstanding artists look deep into the master’s composing …..

The long wait has come to an end – at least for a little while! Exactly one year after the first issue with works of Ottorino Respighi for violin and piano, GENUIN has now released the second CD with Ilona Then-Bergh and Michael Schäfer. After the impressionistic and late-romantic works of Respighi, adaptations of Italian baroque sonatas are now on the programme. Whoever is familiar with Respighi’s wonderful suites on old tunes will have ……

Of Ottorino Respighi's vast output, only a handful are commonly played today. The so-called "Roman Trilogy" certainly tops the list of his most familiar, popular works. On the other end of the continuum is the Concerto in modo misolidio, a piano concerto in the mixolydian mode. Why this riveting work is not played more often is anyone's guess. It incorporates Respighi's innate talents as a master orchestrator, his deference to classical forms (in this case, the three-movement concerto format), and his love of ancient music and modes.

Resphigi's Violin Sonata is a challenging work. The sonata is cast in three movements, the first of which, marked Moderato – Agitato – Tempo I, is haunting in its passionate, quasi-nocturnal main theme given by the violin. Because Respighi was both a violinist and pianist, the writing for the two instruments is deftly wrought here and throughout the work in its exchanges and blending of sonorities. The middle panel is a lovely Andante espressivo that opens with an extended piano solo. The finale is a passacaglia marked Allegro moderato ma energico. It is a dramatic and powerful piece whose stormy main theme yields both profound and colorful music.