Respighi: Pini di Roma, Impressioni brasiliane & Belkis, regina di Saba

Featuring

Alessandro Crudele
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Ottorino Respighi

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Compositional Technique

In 'Pines of Rome,' Respighi notably used a gramophone recording for the nightingale's song in the third movement, a novel use of technology at the time.

Composition History

Respighi's ballet 'Belkis, Queen of Sheba' premiered with an estimated 1,000 performers at La Scala, Milan, in 1932, but despite public enthusiasm, it only had eleven performances.

Compositional Technique

The second movement of 'Brazilian Impressions,' titled 'Butantan,' musically recalls Respighi's visit to the Instituto Butantan in São Paulo, famous for its collection of venomous snakes, lizards, spiders, and scorpions.

Composer Biography

Ottorino Respighi, an excellent violinist, studied orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov in St Petersburg, which he later described as "very important for me."

Composition History

Respighi's 'Brazilian Impressions' was inspired by his 1927 tour of Brazil with his wife, mezzo-soprano Elsa Respighi, during which they made their only joint recordings.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Respighi's musical language was shaped by an international outlook, influenced by Richard Strauss, Debussy, Russian composers, plainsong, and Italian Renaissance and Baroque composers.

Historical Context

Although Respighi's 'Pines of Rome' was completed during a turbulent time in Italy with the 'March on Rome' and Mussolini's rise to power, the composer never showed sympathy for Mussolini's politics.