BIS
Respighi: Vetrate di chiesa, Il tramonto & Trittico botticelliano / Neschling, Liege Royal Philharmonic
$21.99
Details
- Composer
- RESPIGHI, OTTORINO
- Artist
- Antonacci, Neschling
- Format
- SACD
- Label
- BIS
- Released
- Jan 05, 2018
- Catalog #
- BIS-2250
- UPC
- 7318599922508
About
Also available from John Neschling and the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège ijn their Respighi series on BIS: Sinfonia Drammatica & Belfagor Overture; Metamorphoseon; Impressioni brasiliane & La boutique fantasque.
This is a wonderful program, both for the performances and for the intelligent overview it gives of Respighi’s art generally. It begins with a piece for chamber orchestra, continues with an intimate work for voice and string quartet, and concludes with one of the composer’s splashiest orchestral blockbusters. The progression is logical, and makes an excellent hour-plus of pleasurable listening. It’s also sensationally well engineered.
In the Botticelli pictures, Neschling adopts leisurely (but never droopy) tempos that allow every detail of Respighi’s imaginative scoring to register. In The Birth of Venus, you can easily imagine how the violins’ ostinato figures actually trace the delicate peaks of the waves in Botticelli’s painting. It’s lovely and consistently ear-catching. Il Tramonto (The Sunset), after a poem by Shelley, showcases the art of Anna Caterina Antonacci. Best known for her Monteverdi recordings, she’s a fine singing actress. Although voice tends to spread under pressure, her diction and way with the text is absolutely riveting, and Neschling paces the piece perfectly (about sixteen and a half minutes).
All of which brings us to Church Windows, still something of a rarity–in concert at least. If this performance doesn’t quite match the classic Ormandy/Philadelphia version in the blazing second movement (Saint Michael Archangel), it comes close enough as makes no difference, and it’s magnificently sustained and really powerfully recorded. The organ/orchestra balances in the last movement are just about perfect, while the bass frequencies in the closing pages are crushing. In sum, if you’re into this wonderfully colorful and entertaining music, don’t hesitate for a minute.
– ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
Tracklist 8 tracks
-
1 I. La Primavera: Allegro vivace 04:54
- Track
- 1
- Title
- I. La Primavera: Allegro vivace
- Duration
- 04:54
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
2 II. L'adorazione dei Magi: Andante lento 08:57
- Track
- 2
- Title
- II. L'adorazione dei Magi: Andante lento
- Duration
- 08:57
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
3 III. La nascita di Venere: Allegro moderato 06:01
- Track
- 3
- Title
- III. La nascita di Venere: Allegro moderato
- Duration
- 06:01
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
4 Il tramonto, P. 101 16:24
- Track
- 4
- Title
- Il tramonto, P. 101
- Duration
- 16:24
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Performer
- Anna Caterina Antonacci
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
5 I. La fuga in Egitto 06:37
- Track
- 5
- Title
- I. La fuga in Egitto
- Duration
- 06:37
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
6 II. San Michele Arcangelo 06:18
- Track
- 6
- Title
- II. San Michele Arcangelo
- Duration
- 06:18
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
7 III. Il Mattutino di Santa Chiara 05:18
- Track
- 7
- Title
- III. Il Mattutino di Santa Chiara
- Duration
- 05:18
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling
-
8 IV. San Gregorio Magno 10:24
- Track
- 8
- Title
- IV. San Gregorio Magno
- Duration
- 10:24
- Composer
- Ottorino Respighi
- Ensemble
- Orchestre philharmonique royal de Liège
- Conductor
- John Neschling