Paganini, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini & Respighi: Orchestral Works

Featuring

Enrico Calesso
Patrick de Ritis
José Vicente Castelló
Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Giacomo Puccini
Gioachino Rossini

Giuseppe Verdi
Niccolò Paganini
Ottorino Respighi

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Composition History

Puccini's Preludio sinfonico was composed in 1882 while he was a student at Milan's Conservatory, an institution that had previously rejected Verdi.

Compositional Technique

Puccini's Preludio sinfonico, scored for full orchestra and built around a single theme, shows the influence of Wagner, particularly the Prelude to Lohengrin.

Composer Biography

Giuseppe Verdi, who liked to call himself 'peasant from Roncole', came from a family of small landowners and traders, unlike Rossini whose parents were both musicians.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Ottorino Respighi belonged to a generation of Italian composers who aimed to revive interest in orchestral music after a century dominated by opera.

Composition History

The Bassoon Concerto attributed to Rossini may have been written around 1845 as an examination piece for Nazzareno Gatti, a bassoon student at Bologna's Liceo Musicale.

Composition History

Verdi's Capriccio for Bassoon and Orchestra is thought to have been composed for an amateur orchestra in Busseto, where he was active as an organist and conductor.

Composer Biography

Giacomo Puccini, though primarily known for opera, first gained recognition for small-scale orchestral works and sacred music, having started his career as an organist.