MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
BARGAIN OF THE MONTH


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: MDT AmazonUK AmazonUS
Sound Samples & Downloads

Ottorino RESPIGHI (1879-1936)
Violin Concerto in A major * (rev. compl. Salvatore Di Vittorio) (1903) [21:08]
Suite for Strings (rev. Salvatore Di Vittorio) (1902) [27:33]
Aria for Strings * (transcr. Salvatore Di Vittorio) (1901) [5:51]
Rossiniana: Suite for Orchestra (after Gioacchino Rossini) (1925) [23:01]
Laura Marzadori (violin)
Chamber Orchestra of New York, Ottorino Respighi/Salvatore Di Vittorio
rec. Concert Hall, Adelphi University Performing Arts Centre, Long Island, New York, USA 15-16 February and 24-25 May 2010.
* world premiere recordings
NAXOS 8.572332 [77:32]

Experience Classicsonline


 

 
For Respighi enthusiasts this is a novel and worthy release.
 
The Chamber Orchestra of New York ‘Ottorino Respighi’ was founded by Salvatore Di Vittorio in 2006. It comprises leading young professional musicians. As its name implies, a principal aim is to promote the music of Respighi and other Italian masters. On the evidence of this CD, their enthusiasm and that of their conductor is indisputable. His revisions, transcriptions and completions are sensitive to Respighi’s neo-Baroque style.

Respighi’s unfinished A major Violin Concerto was written in 1903 when the composer was in his mid-twenties. He completed the first two movements and began the third in piano reduction with only a few measures orchestrated. Di Vittorio has reviewed all three movements enhancing the orchestration of the first two and extending the scope of the third using material from the other movements. This Violin Concerto has a sunny disposition. It is lyrical and romantic and is reminiscent of Vivaldi and the youthful Mendelssohn. Although not in the same class as the 1908 Concerto all’antica, the gorgeous Concerto Gregoriano (1921) and the single movement Poema autunnale (1925), this little Concerto has much to commend it especially the rapturous sylvan central movement. One can hear distant echoes here of Respighi’s later music such as the central ‘Janiculum’ of the Pines of Rome. Laura Marzadori gives a most compelling reading, tenderly romantic in the slow movement and passionate in the exuberant finale. She is given sterling support by the talented and enthusiastic young orchestra and by the dedication of Di Vittorio. The premiere of the completion of this First Violin Concerto was held in New York in 2010.
 
The enchanting Suite for Strings from 1902 comprises six movements in Baroque style. It may be regarded as the precursor of Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances No. 3 for strings. The movements comprise: a solemn chaconne with characterful variations, a graceful Siciliana, a joyful and scurrying Giga, a lovely mournful Sarabande, a playful Burlesca and an elegant Rigaudon.
 
The 1901 Aria for Strings nods back to the era of Vivaldi, Frescobaldi and Corelli and was later incorporated by Respighi into his Suite in G major for strings and organ. Di Vittorio’s sensitive and affectionate transcription based on Respighi’s original manuscript and hand-written parts makes this a serene little elegy for either string orchestra as here, or string quintet.
 
Rossiniana is the best known work here and enthusiasts will know that this work is based on piano pieces that Rossini completed in retirement. Respighi stamped his own personality on them and created a colourfully orchestrated work of much wit and charm. Listening to the operatic indulgences of the second Lamento one might have thought that this work was a ‘Verdiana’. This is a warm-hearted breezy performance that competes well with other recordings.
 
The recorded sound is first class.
 
A notable release for Respighi enthusiasts.
 
Ian Lace
 


 

 

 



 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.