Respighi was a masterful orchestrator deftly using his forces to evoke a mood or underpin exciting action.
This recording opens with Tre canzoni su testi spagnoli, which so impressed Professor
Respighi that he personally submitted them to the greatest music publisher of the time, Ricordi; these became Elsa's first published songs.
An ever-present C-sharp octave ostinato represents chimes at sunset in
Respighi's "Preludio III su Melodie Gregoriane." Notated on three staves, voicing is challenging.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, will include works by Durufle, Guilain, Mendelssohn,
Respighi, Dupre, and Gerre Hancock.
4,
Respighi's dreamy Fountains of Rome, and Roman Trilogy companion Pines of Rome-Prosecco was the chosen beverage; the repast of this respondent and his epicurean companion consisted of greenmarket goat cheese on rye, Castelvetrano olives, chilled sea robin, bulgur tabouleh, and egg salad; and for dessert, wedges of Russian "vafelniy" honey cake topped with homemade whipped cream and blueberries.
Several melodies are due to be played during the event, including ' Fountains of Rome' by Ottorino
Respighi, 'Four Sea Interludes' by Benjamin Britten, 'Fantasia on Greensleeves' by Ralph Vaughan Williams and 'Enigma variation' by Edward Elgar.
The international pieces included
Respighi's Ancient airs and dances, III suite for stings, and Verdi's La Traviata 'Libiamo, libiamo ne' lieti calici'.
Established to feature young professional musicians in the early stages of their careers, The Chamber Orchestra of New York was founded in honor of Ottorino
Respighi to present the great orchestral repertoire with a focus on ancient music and its influences on works of later composers, including undiscovered and rarely performed gems.
This includes a free cover disc on which he conducts the Phil at Hope Street and the National Youth Orchestra at a London Prom in Prokofiev and
Respighi. And all that after the mighty Mahler 8th Symphony in Liverpool Cathedral.
Playing it, I had flashes to another piece,
Respighi's Pines of the Appian Way, unfolding much the same, seemingly spent, rising, driving upward until the dark and lifeless room seemed to lift off, taking the musicians, tech engineers, composers, copyists, and yes, even the bean-counters; producers, directors, assistant directors, and studio moguls along with it.
The programme comprised compositions of Hector Berlioz, Ernest Chausson, Jacques Ibert, Alexandr Glazunov, Camille Saint-Saens, Carl Maria Vob Weber and Ottorino
Respighi, featured under the baton of Swiss-Egyptian conductor Nader Abbassi.
Other works on tonight''s programme include Faur''s Masques et bergamasques, Elgar''s Salut d''amour, the Greensleeves Fantasia by Vaughan Williams and
Respighi''s suite The Birds.
Brilliant Sinfonia flautist JULIETTE BAUSOR joins Catrin for Mozart's spectacular Concerto For Flute And Harp, in a programme packed with a seemingly endless parade of breathtaking melody including works by Faure, Elgar, Vaughn-Williams, Debussy and
Respighi.
BIFO will perform Ulvi Cemal Erkin's "Kocekce", a dance rhapsody for orchestra, as well as play works by Paul Hindemith and Ottorino
Respighi.
Wednesday's opening concert welcomed the acclaimed Italian conductor Giovanni Battista Rigon to lead the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) through a program of Rossini, Paganini and
Respighi.
