Crepuscolo: Songs by Ottorino Respighi

by Timothy Fallon, Ammiel Bushakevitz

Overview

Known above all for large orchestral canvases, Ottorino Respighi has attracted little attention for his songs; the concluding Nebbie ("Mists") here is probably the most popular one and brought Respighi some career momentum. Yet the composer's wife, Elsa, said that they were among his most personal works. Some have been recorded singly or in small groups, but they fare better when they receive examination as a body of work, as they do here from tenor Timothy Fallon and pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz. Their performances are ideal, respecting the modest dimensions of the songs even when Respighi feints in operatic directions. The biggest revelation is that Respighi's songs contain traces of all the varied influences that showed up in his larger music. They represent his compositional world in miniature, with late Romanticism bumping up against a lot of Debussy, some Italian opera, some of Respighi's teacher Rimsky-Korsakov, and a touch of the Renaissance music Respighi helped to popularize, not only in the Cinque Canti all'Antica. There is even a set of four Scottish songs -- in Scots English -- and these may be worth the price of admission by themselves; they are not precisely like any other folk song treatments. Many of the songs are early, but others, including the Scottish songs and the Deita Silvane ("Sylvan Deities"), are products of his full maturity, and for a taste of the sheer lyrical beauty of many of them, sample the title song, from the Deita Silvane set. Respighi's star has been on the rise as listeners realize that it was neither the radicals nor the conservatives who truly defined the interwar period, and this fine release should find a ready audience. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/03/2022
Label:	Bis
UPC:	7318599926322
Rank:	12136

Tracks

1. Deit¿¿ Silvane, P 107~1. I fauni
2. Deit¿¿ Silvane, P 107~2. Musica in horto
3. Deit¿¿ Silvane, P 107~3. Egle
4. Deit¿¿ Silvane, P 107~4. Acqua
5. Deit¿¿ Silvane, P 107~5. Crepuscolo
6. 6 Songs, P. 89~No. 1. In alto mare
7. Contrasto, P 66
8. L' ultima ebbrezza, P 8
9. 6 Songs, P. 89~No. 2. Abbandono
10. Stornellatrice, P 69
11. Cinque canti all'antica, P 71~1. L'udir talvolta
12. Cinque canti all'antica, P 71~2. Ma come potrei
13. Cinque canti all'antica, P 71~3. Ballata
14. Cinque canti all'antica, P 71~4. Bella porta di rubini
15. Cinque canti all'antica, P 71~5. Canzone (nell'opera comica Re Enzo)
16. Storia breve, P 52
17. Liriche Series II, P. 97~No. 6 Nel giardino
18. Liriche Series I, P. 90~No. 6. Pioggia
19. Lagrime, P 9
20. Quattro arie scozzesi, P 143~1. When the Kye Come Hame
21. Quattro arie scozzesi, P 143~2. Within a Mile of Edinburgh Town
22. Quattro arie scozzesi, P 143~3. My Heart's in the Highlands
23. Quattro arie scozzesi, P 143~4. The Piper of Dundee
24. Liriche Series I, P. 90~No. 1. O falce di luna calante
25. Notturno, P 11
26. Nebbie, P 64

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Timothy Fallon   Primary Artist,Tenor (Vocal)
Ammiel Bushakevitz   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Arlette Lemieux-Chene   Liner Note Translation
Ottorino Respighi   Composer
Michael Schetelich   Associate Producer
Vittoria Aganoor Pompili   Text
Robert Suff   Executive Producer
Ada Negri   Text
Francesco Rocchi   Text
Kirsten Nijhof   Photography
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting
Enrico Panzacchi   Text
Anna Lamberti   Liner Note Translation
Giovanni Boccaccio   Text
Antonio Rubino   Text
James Hogg   Text
Thomas d'Urfey   Text
Gabriele D'Annunzio   Text
Annie Vivanti   Text
Matthias Spitzbarth   Mixing,Post Production
Alberto Donini   Text
Carlo Zangarini   Text
Falk Haefner   Executive Producer
Timothy Fallon   Liner Notes
Marie-Josefin Melchior   Recording Producer
Michael Krogmann   Engineer
Ammiel Bushakevitz   Liner Notes
Romina Tobar   Piano Technician
Enzo of Sardinia   Text
Francois-Louis Schmied   Cover Image
Robert Burns   Text
Andrea Falconieri   Text