Ottorino Respighi(1879-1936)

Started by Dundonnell, May 12, 2009, 04:05:50 AM

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Mirror Image

Quote from: vandermolen on June 05, 2020, 12:27:54 PM
Ok thanks John. Will look out for it. Having said that I wonder if I do have it on an EMI compilation.

PS I realise that I have it on this recently acquired double CD set here - silly me!


Great! Give that Muti a listen whenever you get a chance. I think you'll enjoy it.

bhodges

Another great bit of Respighi from pianist Sergei Babayan. This recital includes Notturno and the first of the Three Preludes On Gregorian Melodies (1. Molto lento). The rest of the disc is great, too.

[asin]B00000DMV0[/asin]

--Bruce

Christo

Quote from: Brewski on June 04, 2020, 08:46:53 AM
Following this thread with interest, since I am one of those who has not heard much Respighi other than the trilogy, some chamber music, and his opera, La campana sommersa (The Sunken Bell).

A recording of Pines was my first-ever LP (Sargent/LSO), and though I still love it and Fountains, over the years Feste Romane has become my favorite. My go-to conductor is Muti, whose theatrically charged vision is like no other: when he and Chicago did a few years ago, it was a revelation.

Now there's this version from the 2009 Proms -- the first-ever Proms performance -- with Vasily Petrenko and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Gotta say, they are on fire here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u1oT7QtQp4&t=1415s

--Bruce
Many thanks (again!). It's the sort of performance that makes you feel the sensation of experiences like these - I bet it meant a lot to many both in the audience and in the orchestra. Petrenko knows it and makes it feel special - even for us, playing the video. Great to watch.  :)
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

bhodges

Quote from: Christo on June 05, 2020, 12:39:27 PM
Many thanks (again!). It's the sort of performance that makes you feel the sensation of experiences like these - I bet it meant a lot to many both in the audience and in the orchestra. Petrenko knows it and makes it feel special - even for us, playing the video. Great to watch.  :)

Most welcome, and you're right about the feeling: you can see it in the faces of the young musicians, who are obviously having a fantastic time with the piece.

--Bruce

vandermolen

Quote from: Mirror Image on June 05, 2020, 12:37:07 PM
Great! Give that Muti a listen whenever you get a chance. I think you'll enjoy it.

Will do  :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Christo

Now that this thread suddenly popped-up in my timeline, after quite some time, I realized one of the reasons it made me play some Respighi again (also after quite a long time). It being, that I consider many of his lesser-known compositions very special and inspiring, often even more so than his well-known oeuvre. Not that there's anything wrong with his war-horses, the Roman trilogy (I even listened to the Feste Romane with gusto again, nothing wrong even there), but I realized that some of my favourites are hardly known. Respighi really is a kaleidoscopic composer of widely different styles, often at almost the same time, and almost always mastering them 'at the spot'.

Let me mention some of my favourite pieces - I'm sure all of you will want to add other choices of your own:

1908   Chaconne for violin, organ and strings (after Vitali, but really an original composition)
1920   Quattro liriche, for voice and instrument (or ensemble, as arranged by Adriano)
1922   La primavera, for choir, voice and orchestra
1924   Belfagor Overture
1924   Quartetto dorico, string quartet
1930   Lauda per la natività del Signore, for choir, voice and orchestra
1930   Suite della tabacchiera, for wind instruments and piano four hands
1930   Metamorphoseon modi XII, for large orchestra
1931   Maria egiziaca, opera (sort of)
1933   Concerto a cinque, for oboe, trumpet, violin, double bass, piano and string orchestra
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

Mirror Image

#166
Quote from: Christo on June 06, 2020, 03:40:12 AM
Now that this thread suddenly popped-up in my timeline, after quite some time, I realized one of the reasons it made me play some Respighi again (also after quite a long time). It being, that I consider many of his lesser-known compositions very special and inspiring, often even more so than his well-known oeuvre. Not that there's anything wrong with his war-horses, the Roman trilogy (I even listened to the Feste Romane with gusto again, nothing wrong even there), but I realized that some of my favourites are hardly known. Respighi really is a kaleidoscopic composer of widely different styles, often at almost the same time, and almost always mastering them 'at the spot'.

Let me mention some of my favourite pieces - I'm sure all of you will want to add other choices of your own:

1908   Chaconne for violin, organ and strings (after Vitali, but really an original composition)
1920   Quattro liriche, for voice and instrument (or ensemble, as arranged by Adriano)
1922   La primavera, for choir, voice and orchestra
1924   Belfagor Overture
1924   Quartetto dorico, string quartet
1930   Lauda per la natività del Signore, for choir, voice and orchestra
1930   Suite della tabacchiera, for wind instruments and piano four hands
1930   Metamorphoseon modi XII, for large orchestra
1931   Maria egiziaca, opera (sort of)
1933   Concerto a cinque, for oboe, trumpet, violin, double bass, piano and string orchestra

Interesting, Christo. Some of these works I haven't even heard nor own a recording of: Chaconne for violin, organ and strings, Lauda per la natività del Signore, Suite della tabacchiera, Maria egiziaca, or Concerto a cinque. I'll have to check these out. I don't think I can quite give a list of my favorite Respighi works since I'm only now starting to become reacquainted with his oeuvre.

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Christo on June 06, 2020, 03:40:12 AM
Now that this thread suddenly popped-up in my timeline, after quite some time, I realized one of the reasons it made me play some Respighi again (also after quite a long time). It being, that I consider many of his lesser-known compositions very special and inspiring, often even more so than his well-known oeuvre. Not that there's anything wrong with his war-horses, the Roman trilogy (I even listened to the Feste Romane with gusto again, nothing wrong even there), but I realized that some of my favourites are hardly known. Respighi really is a kaleidoscopic composer of widely different styles, often at almost the same time, and almost always mastering them 'at the spot'.

Let me mention some of my favourite pieces - I'm sure all of you will want to add other choices of your own:

1908   Chaconne for violin, organ and strings (after Vitali, but really an original composition)
1920   Quattro liriche, for voice and instrument (or ensemble, as arranged by Adriano)
1922   La primavera, for choir, voice and orchestra
1924   Belfagor Overture
1924   Quartetto dorico, string quartet
1930   Lauda per la natività del Signore, for choir, voice and orchestra
1930   Suite della tabacchiera, for wind instruments and piano four hands
1930   Metamorphoseon modi XII, for large orchestra
1931   Maria egiziaca, opera (sort of)
1933   Concerto a cinque, for oboe, trumpet, violin, double bass, piano and string orchestra

In complete agreement with all you write.  Don't know the Suite della tabacchiera though.  I enjoy Respighi's orchestrations too - the great Bach C minor Passacaglia & Fugue blows me away every time.  When I was a student we did a summer trip to Lucca to play for a music festival and did Respighi's arrangement for full orchestra of Monteverdi's Orfeo - widely OTT but I loved it.  The Concerto a cinque is an absolute gem.  I like this version (and indeed the entire disc);


Christo

Quote from: Roasted Swan on June 06, 2020, 07:04:15 AM
In complete agreement with all you write.  Don't know the Suite della tabacchiera though.  I enjoy Respighi's orchestrations too - the great Bach C minor Passacaglia & Fugue blows me away every time.  When I was a student we did a summer trip to Lucca to play for a music festival and did Respighi's arrangement for full orchestra of Monteverdi's Orfeo - widely OTT but I loved it.  The Concerto a cinque is an absolute gem.  I like this version (and indeed the entire disc);


One of my favourite Respighi albums, also for the beautiful Concerto all'Antica for violin and orchestra, another gem. Was playing it myself this afternoon.  8)
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

pjme

I heartily agree.
The "Lauda" is lovely work and so is the Concerto a cinque.
I have a soft spot for both the Concerto gregoriano and the Poema autunnale.

Peter

Christo

Quote from: pjme on June 06, 2020, 08:04:25 AM
I heartily agree.
The "Lauda" is lovely work and so is the Concerto a cinque.
I have a soft spot for both the Concerto gregoriano and the Poema autunnale.

Peter
Me too, I considered both relatively well-known, with numbers of recordings available. BTW still waiting for Jeffrey to proclaim his love for the Concerto in modo misolidio ...  :-X
... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

vandermolen

Quote from: Christo on June 06, 2020, 08:20:50 AM
Me too, I considered both relatively well-known, with numbers of recordings available. BTW still waiting for Jeffrey to proclaim his love for the Concerto in modo misolidio ...  :-X
It's a fabulous work - as you well know Johan  ;D
I have multiple recordings of it, of course.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Ratliff

I find myself fatigued with the "Roman Trilogy" and the Muti is probably my least favorite recording, too bombastic un unsubtle, in my recollection. My favorite recordings the trilogy are Previtali/Santa Cecelia, Reiner, Karajan/Philharmonia and Maazel/Pittsburgh. But my favorite recordings of Respighi overall maybe Mordkovitch's recording of the violin sonata and the Downes/BBC Phil recordings of the orchestral music, including piano concerti with Tozer.

vandermolen

Quote from: Baron Scarpia on June 06, 2020, 08:44:33 AM
I find myself fatigued with the "Roman Trilogy" and the Muti is probably my least favorite recording, too bombastic un unsubtle, in my recollection. My favorite recordings the trilogy are Previtali/Santa Cecelia, Reiner, Karajan/Philharmonia and Maazel/Pittsburgh. But my favorite recordings of Respighi overall maybe Mordkovitch's recording of the violin sonata and the Downes/BBC Phil recordings of the orchestral music, including piano concerti with Tozer.
I enjoy the Pines of Rome, but the other two much less, so I can understand your view.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

kyjo

Another Respighi work I like very much that hasn't been mentioned yet is the substantial (25 minute) Toccata for piano and orchestra, which contains music of the expected bristling motoric energy but also passages of gorgeous, melting lyricism:
https://youtu.be/BCdeqaZZvlc

I recall liking the early Piano Concerto in A minor quite a bit as well. But sorry, Jeffrey, I can't muster much enthusiasm for the Concerto in modo misolidio :-X
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

Quote from: kyjo on June 06, 2020, 09:03:01 AM
Another Respighi work I like very much that hasn't been mentioned yet is the substantial (25 minute) Toccata for piano and orchestra, which contains music of the expected bristling motoric energy but also passages of gorgeous, melting lyricism:
https://youtu.be/BCdeqaZZvlc

I recall liking the early Piano Concerto in A minor quite a bit as well. But sorry, Jeffrey, I can't muster much enthusiasm for the Concerto in modo misolidio :-X

It's not everyone's cup of tea Kyle.  ;)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

relm1


Mirror Image

Quote from: relm1 on June 06, 2020, 05:53:53 PM
Fantastic!  Was this Respighi's grandest piece?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlE7sSpEFQU

Very possible, relm1. I'd love to hear a recording of the entire work, but it looks like it's only available on DVD/Blu-Ray, which, is fine, but I'd like a recording of it. Are you reading this John Neschling? :P

kyjo

Quote from: vandermolen on June 06, 2020, 12:42:00 PM
It's not everyone's cup of tea Kyle.  ;)

;) Have you heard the Toccata for piano and orchestra, Jeffrey?
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

#179
Quote from: kyjo on June 06, 2020, 06:29:24 PM
;) Have you heard the Toccata for piano and orchestra, Jeffrey?

Yes, I have Kyle although can't remember too much about it. My favourites of Respighi are Church Windows, Concerto Gregoriano, Concerto in Modo Misolidio ( 8)), Botticelli Pictures, Pines of Rome, Ballad of the Gnomes, Metamorphoseon, Poem Autunalle, Suite for Strings and Organ and there is some very fine chamber music:
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).