Ottorino Respighi: Lauda per la Natività del Signore

Featuring

Nicolas Fink
Yeree Suh
Kristine Larissa Funkhauser
Krystian Adam
Māris Sirmais
Rundfunkchor Berlin

Polyphonia Ensemble Berlin
Jan Sandström
Heinrich Kaminski
Morten Lauridsen
Günter Raphael
Francis Poulenc
Ottorino Respighi

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Interpretation

At the premiere of 'Lauda per la Natività del Signore', Respighi's wife, Elsa Respighi, sang the role of Mary, and Respighi himself participated as an instrumentalist and conductor.

Composer Biography

Ottorino Respighi, born in Bologna, began his musical career as an orchestral musician, which included a season in Russia where he met Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and studied orchestration with him.

Composition History

Respighi's 'Lauda per la Natività del Signore' was inspired by a harpsichord recital in 1928 at the palace of Count Guido Chigi Saracini in Siena, leading him to compose a 'Piccola cantata' for the venue.

Composition History

The text for Respighi's 'Lauda per la Natività del Signore' was compiled by the composer from verses and stanzas of the 'Laus pro nativitate Domini', attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi.

Notable Performances

The premiere of Respighi's 'Lauda per la Natività del Signore' took place on November 22, 1930, in Siena, paired with his 'Suite della tabacchiera' (Snuffbox Suite), and was dedicated to Count Guido Chigi Saracini.

Compositional Technique

Respighi's 'Lauda per la Natività del Signore' combines late Romantic, Impressionistic, and neo-Baroque elements, evoking madrigal forms and Gregorian chant.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Respighi, a member of the 'Generazione dell'Ottanta' (generation of the 1880s), is considered an innovator of Italian music who paradoxically drew compositional energy from older musical languages.