This CD represents, for me, a little personal flashback
to the recent past as well as presenting some fine, neglected works.
Campion Records was formerly based, including the time when this recording
was first released, in Bank Square, Wilmslow, (my place of residence
for the last five years), sharing premises with the late, lamented and
totally wonderful Rare Records (John and Brian, you are greatly missed!).
It is now one of the labels distributed by DI Music, located in nearby
Cheadle (a personal source of, among other things, discs from Murray
Khouri's superb New Zealand based Continuum imprint).
Anyone familiar with Respighi's most widely known orchestral
works (the Roman Trilogy, Ancient Airs and Dances and
The Birds), may be forgiven for thinking that, at times (in fact,
most of the time) they are listening to the work of someone else. While
the Poema Autunnale is quite lush in its orchestration, there
is a melancholic aspect to it that suggests the wistful half-light of
a Bax or Delius. It also, for me, has resonances of Howells and Vaughan
Williams (the suite for viola, especially), rather than the triumphalism
of a Strauss. The piece has several glorious moments, for both soloist,
orchestra and a combination of the two, and its relative neglect seems
totally unjustified. Devotees of composers such as Elgar or Finzi may
find the inherent but uncloying nostalgia of this music very amenable.
The Trittico Botticelliano is one of Respighi's
most accessible scores and this performance is licensed from the Czech
label Opus, whereas the other works on the disc are from (extremely
good) Slovak Radio recordings. If you are
interested in acquiring this work alone and, even better, if you are
a fan of Martinů, the same (excellent) performance is included
on a disc from the ultra-bargain Point Classics (not the Philip Glass
label) along with Martinů's shimmering Sinfonietta La
Jolla and has recently been obtainable for around £2 in certain
remainder shops. Why not do yourself a favour and buy both discs; the
pieces inspired by specific Botticelli paintings consist of two sun-drenched,
impressionistic landscapes (as a comparison, Ravel's Daphnis and
Chlöe springs to mind) framing a more intense central meditation
on the famous advent theme Veni, Veni Emmanuel.
The first two movements of the concerto contain a great
deal of meditative, slow music and are absolutely not vehicles for displays
of great virtuosity or musical pyrotechnics and, although the finale
opens in very energetic Copland/Harris "outdoor" mode, it too is primarily
lyrical, with a very memorable folklike tune at its heart. This work
may well appeal to those who have enjoyed the Naxos American Classics
discs of the Walter Piston and William Schuman concertos; though not
necessarily similar in inspiration they share with this work an integrity
and lack of superficial "showiness" which is, unfortunately, not always
a characteristic of this medium. Other works which I feel fall into
a similar category include Martinů's Rhapsody-Concerto
for viola and E.J. Moeran's Violin Concerto.
All in all this is a lovely disc and potentially a
real eye opener for anyone who thinks Respighi's music is only
about the Pines and Fountains of Rome. The booklet is fairly minimal
in its content but useful as a brief guide to the music and the composer's
wider career.
Neil Horner
Ondrej Lenard, conductor