Respighi: Violin Sonatas & Other Pieces

Featuring

Tanja Becker-Bender
Péter Nagy
Ottorino Respighi

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Instruments

Tanja Becker-Bender, the violinist on this recording, plays a Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù violin from 1728, on loan from the German Music Foundation.

Composer Biography

As a teenager, Respighi was already proficient enough on violin and viola to play in the orchestra of the Teatro Communale in Bologna.

Composer Biography

Ottorino Respighi began his musical studies at age eight, taking violin and piano lessons from his father in Bologna.

Composer Biography

In 1900, Respighi worked in the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, where he studied with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which significantly impacted his orchestral music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Respighi's later fascination with early music was likely influenced by his counterpoint teacher, Luigi Torchi, who published pioneering collections of 17th-century Italian songs.

Composition History

The Five Pieces for violin and piano by Respighi were likely not intended to be performed as a set, as each was published separately in Vienna in 1906.