Ottorino Respighi is best known for his exuberant and expansive orchestral works, such as the Roman Trilogy. He was also a composer of chamber and salon music. His musical education began with him learning violin and piano as a child. For the first twenty years of his career as a composer he only wrote for these instruments. He was an accomplished violinist and his mastery of the instrument manifests itself in the idiomatic violin-writing heard in the works on this disc.
The early D minor sonata is colourful, tuneful music. The sense of structure may surprise those who judge Respighi by the sprawling Roman tone poems. The outer movements contain dynamic, soaring melodies in the grand romantic style. Brahms comes to mind. The central adagio is also Germanic in character. The later sonata in B minor, composed some twenty years later, demonstrates how the composer had developed his style and mastery of the sonata structure still further. The sonata is on a larger scale altogether when compared to the earlier work and it showcases Respighi right at the top of his game. The dramatic opening Moderato has an attractive intensity to it and the scoring provides the pianist with plenty of scope to become an equal partmer rather than just an accompanist. The gentle impressionistic Andante espressivo then gives way to a remarkable final passacaglia containing 20 variations. This is grave, solemn music that really touches the heart. For those who love the final movement of the Brahms Symphony No. 4 (as I do) this will be right up your street. It’s mightily impressive.
The CD is completed by the Six Pieces for violin and piano. These beautiful miniatures are light years away from the glory of Respighi’s tragic B minor sonata. Here, we enter the realms of the salon. It’s elegant, well written light music but nothing more than that. The opening melancholic berceuse and the third movement – Leggenda – are the two stand out movements.
The works on this bargain CD are performed wonderfully well by Fabio Paggioro and Massimiliano Ferrati. This is an equal musical partnership and their playing is of the highest quality throughout. The recording is clear and sonorous and the only real complaint is the regular sniffing by Paggioro - I assume - which is captured rather realistically by the microphones. This may less troublesome for some listeners. I personally found it to be annoying and somewhat tiresome.
John Whitmore
Track-list
Violin Sonata in D Minor P 15
I. Lento – Allegro – Lento – Assai animato
II. Adagio
III. Scherzo. Allegretto
Six Pieces for Violin and Piano P 31
I. Berceuse
II. Melodia
III. Leggenda
IV. Valse caressante
V. Serenata
VI. Aria
Violin Sonata in B Minor P 110
I. Moderato
II. Andante espressivo
III. Allegro moderato ma energico
