Respighi: Metamorphoseon, Etc / Neschling, Liege Philharmonic

$15.99
Label
BIS
Release Date
August 14, 2015
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      RESPIGHI, OTTORINO
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Liege Royal Philharmonic
    • PERFORMER
      Neschling
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      August 14, 2015
    • UPC
      7318599921303
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BIS-2130
    • LABEL
      BIS
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Orchestral & Symphonic
    Works ⌄

    1. Theme: Andante moderato

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    2. Modus I: Moderato non troppo

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    3. Modus II: Allegretto

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    4. Modus III: Lento

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    5. Modus IV: Lento espressivo

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    6. Modus V: Molto vivace

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    7. Modus VI: Vivo

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    8. Modus VII: Cadenza

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    9. Modus VIII: Andantino mosso

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    10. Modus IX: Lento non troppo

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    11. Modus X: Molto allegro

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    12. Modus XI: Molto allegro

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    13. Modus XII: Vivo non troppo

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    14. Ballata delle gnomidi, P. 124

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    15. I. Il Sogno di Salomone (The Dream of Solomon)

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    16. II. La Danza di Belkis all'aurora (The Dance of Belkis at Dawn)

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    17. III. Danza guerresca (War Dance)

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling

    18. IV. Danza orgiastica (Orgiastic Dance)

      Composer: Ottorino Respighi

      Ensemble: Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège

      Conductor: John Neschling


These pieces aren’t nearly so unfamiliar, on disc at least, as they used to be. Metamorphoseon is a theme and variations on an attractive, modal tune. It was commissioned by the Boston Symphony for its 5oth anniversary celebrations, part of an amazing crop of 20th century masterpieces that included Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Honegger’s First Symphony, Hindemith’s Concert Music for Strings and Brass, Hanson’s Romantic Symphony, Prokofiev’s Fourth Symphony, and Roussel’s Third Symphony. You might call it Respighi’s answer to Elgar’s Enigma Variations in the sense that it’s a rich, colorful, thoroughly symphonic score that hangs together quite well. It deserves to be better known still.

The Ballad of the Gnomes must be Respighi’s least familiar tone poem; it’s only been recorded a couple of times previously. Forget the grotesque story–Mrs. Gnome decapitates Mr. Gnome–and simply enjoy the typically glitzy orchestration and good tunes. We are still waiting for a complete recording of Belkis, Queen of Sheba (the score is now available from Editions Höflich in Munich), and until that comes along this standard, four-movement suite will do nicely.

All of the performances here are expert, but conductor John Neschling deserves particular credit for keeping things movement purposefully forward in the first two long, and mostly slowish, movements of the Belkis suite. The same work’s vulgar (let’s not kid ourselves) concluding Danza orgiastica also sounds more musical than usual–less like a back-alley gang bang–but with no loss of energy. The Liège orchestra plays with great bravura, and BIS’s SACD sonics, typically, are just terrific. In short, a very worthy entry in this ongoing series.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com