Respighi's songs often reflect a nostalgia for mythology and 'long dead gods,' reacting against the rapid spread of early 20th-century technology.
Ottorino Respighi, born in Bologna in 1879, was eternally curious and eclectic, and spoke 11 languages fluently.
Respighi, who was also a musicologist, turned his attention to Italian and foreign folk traditions during his life.
Respighi's songs, written between approximately 1905 and 1930, chart his personal and stylistic development as a composer.
Many of Respighi's songs aim to create a modern mythology of nature, where mystery is hidden from all but the sensitive listener.
Respighi's musical language is shaped around the poetic world of the text, creating a feeling that music and words were born as one whole.
Respighi's widow, Elsa, a singer whom he accompanied in over 350 concerts, noted that he composed vocal music at every stage of his career.
