Unknown Respighi Violin Concerto

[alberto]

I deem a plesant "find" the youthful Violin Concerto in A major (1903, Respighi aged 24) on Naxos 8.572332 (Laura Marzadori violin, S.Di Vittorio cond., NY Chamber orch. "O.Respighi").
The Concerto is unashamedly romantic (not really late-romantic) and very tuneful (albeit at "easy" level), more tuneful than many respighian works. Left unfinished in the scoring of the third and last movement, it has been there scored by the conductor (who, accordingly to the booklet, has also "enhanced" the scoring of movements 1 and 2).
The remaining is uneven.  The fine "Rossiniana" suite, seldom performed in concert, has been several times recorded (even by Beecham, Boult, Ansermet, Dorati), recently by Noseda and by Falletta (another Naxos). More ordinary the youthful "Aria" for strings and the "Suite for strings" (already recorded; the Aria is claimed to be a first recording: it is only as a "revision" by S.Di Vittorio).

[TerraEpon]

I wonder how much revising he did of the suite -- there's a recording of it on a disc by, I think, Inedita or something, but that disc has a dreadful recording of Boutique Fantasque....of course it also has the suite for Flute and Stings so I still can't get rid of it just yet....but it'd be nice to know exactly what he did.

[violinconcerto]

The Concerto is unashamedly romantic (not really late-romantic) and very tuneful (albeit at "easy" level), more tuneful than many respighian works. Left unfinished in the scoring of the third and last movement, it has been there scored by the conductor (who, accordingly to the booklet, has also "enhanced" the scoring of movements 1 and 2).

There is also a recording of the real first violin concerto by Respighi (unfinished and with the original first two movements, that is) on the Bongiovanni label. Check here: Respighi: Violin concerto in A major

[Alan Howe]

I was disappointed with the concerto. Not much of a find really...

[alberto]

I thank Violincocerto for the information.
The CD quoted by TerraEpon should be on the (disappeared) label "Nuova Era" , n. 6876, year 1991 release. It contains an indeed pedestrian performance of a selection from La Boutique Fantasque.
The booklet of the new Naxos (booklet not faultless) says nothing useful about entity (or reasons) of the "revision" of the Suite for Strings.   

[Peter1953]

I'm a bit disappointed with this VC too. So different in comparison with his Concerto all' Antica for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, which is a beautiful concerto IMHO, although it's not very original. It could have been composed by Viotti.

[fuhred]

Yeah, it's pleasant enough, but I wonder about the dotted-note episode at 1'25" in the finale that absolutely reeks of the corresponding movement of the Brahms concerto! How much actual material in this movement is genuine Respighi?

If you're interested in a superb version of Rossiniana, try the Janigro version on Vanguard with the 'Vienna State Symphony Orchestra' (actually the Vienna Philharmonic under a different name).

[alberto]

I got the Janigro (a former great cellist) Rossiniana in Lp format many, many years ago. In my Lp (Austrian -?- Amadeo label) the Orchestra was named "Orchester des Wiener Festwochen".

[santinne]

Hello,

I was forwarded the link to this forum, and thought that the following blog posting by Maestro Salvatore Di Vittorio would answer many of your questions. It is the official blog of the Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi". The posting is titled "Why are the new Respighi editions even necessary?" (dated July 9, 2011)

http://chamberorchestrany.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html

[adriano]

The Rossiniana conducted tby Antonio Janigro is the best so far!
Greetings from Switzerland
Adriano
Conductor/Composer