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Although Respighi’s reputation rests on the justly celebrated trilogy of Roman tone poems, he also wrote a number of distinguished works in other forms. His unfinished First Violin Concerto in A major (1903) was recently revised and completed by composer/conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio, who directed its première in 2010.
This is the world premiere recording of the Violin Concerto, performed by the young Italian violinist Laura Marzadori. Harking back to the masterful writing of Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, the Concerto also foreshadows the orchestral technicolour of the great Italian composer’s ‘Roman Trilogy’.
The lyrical Aria and graceful Suite, newly transcribed by Di Vittorio, embody Respighi’s abiding love of Baroque music, while Rossiniana is a delightful reworking of Rossini’s piano music, Les riens (Trifles), much enhanced by Respighi’s contribution of new melodies and innovative orchestration.
Ottorino Respighi: Aria in G major, P. 32 (transcribed S. Di Vittorio)
Aria in G major, P. 32 (transcribed S. Di Vittorio)
Ottorino Respighi: Violin Concerto in A major, P. 49 (completed S. Di Vittorio)
I. Allegro energetico
II. Molto lento - Agitato - Tranquillo
III. Allegro rondo
Ottorino Respighi: Suite for Strings, P. 41 (revised S. Di Vittorio)
I. Ciaccona
II. Siciliana
III. Giga
IV. Sarabanda
V. Burlesca
VI. Rigaudon
Ottorino Respighi: Rossiniana, P. 148
I. Capri e Taormina
II. Lamento
III. Intermezzo
IV. Tarantella, "Puro Sangue"
9th June 2011
***
“The best known work here is Rossiniana, dating from 1925 and an example of Respighi's postmodern flamboyance at its best. The disc's raison d'être, however, is Di Vittorio's performing version of the Violin Concerto in A...in essence, it's a big, late Romantic concerto, reminiscent of Brahms. Laura Marzadori does some nice things with it – the ornate slow movement is particularly refined”
11th June 2011
***
“Salvatore di Vittorio, an enterprising scholar/ conductor, has completed Respighi’s Violin Concerto in A and conducts it here with the sinuous-toned young violinist Laura Marzadori tackling the solo part...The 1903 piece has lushly rhapsodic moments...The fillers are fun”
london24.com
17th June 2011
“Not a lost masterpiece, but tempting for admirers of the composer – at a handsome bargain price.”
23rd June 2011
***
“the concerto inhabits a similar world of sound artfully allied to the dynamism familiar from violin concertos by Mendelssohn, Bruch and Brahms, together with the clarity of orchestration that Respighi inherited from Rimsky-Korsakov. Left unfinished in 1903, the concerto has been completed by Salvatore Di Vittorio, and its performance here is spirited.”
August 2011
***
“Most of this music is backward-looking pastiche...The exception is the unfinished Violin Concerto, a fascinating discovery brought to life by Di Vittorio who has done a magnificent job of realising and expanding upon the existing material. Laura Marzadori proves an eloquent and impassioned soloist in the Violin Concerto”
September 2011
“Laura Marzadori proves a big-hearted, assertive soloist”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Aria in G major, P. 32 (transcribed S. Di Vittorio)
