Respighi: Gli Uccelli; Antiche Danze ed Arie

by John Neschling, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege

Overview

Conductor John Neschling is not a household name, but his fine cycle of Respighi's orchestral works with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege may be changing that. This 2023 release is the final one in the set, and Neschling may have outdone himself here. Gli Uccelli ("The Birds") was not a tone poem but a suite of short pieces based on Renaissance and Baroque bird representations. Composed in 1928, it fell out of the repertory as authentic performances of early music took hold, but Respighi referred to the pieces as free transcriptions and made no claims of authenticity. They are charming if given delicate performances like the ones here; sample the lyric expansion of Bernardo Pasquini's original in "Il cucu" ("The Cuckoo") and its graceful handling by Neschling. Gli Uccelli makes a perfect pairing with the Antiche danze ed arie (often "Antique Airs and Dances" in English), three suites of pure neoclassic Renaissance-inspired pieces that Respighi wrote over some years, gradually refining their language. The final Suite No. 3 is for strings alone, and its elegance is unparalleled in the current version. With superb BIS engineering in the Salle Philharmonique in Liege, this is a superior Respighi release to close out Neschling's series. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/2023
Label:	Bis
UPC:	7318599925400
Rank:	10604

Tracks

1. Gli uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra, P 154~1. Preludio
2. Gli uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra, P 154~2. La colomba (The dove)
3. Gli uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra, P 154~3. La gallina (The hen)
4. Gli uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra, P 154~4. L'usignuolo (The nightingale)
5. Gli uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra, P 154~5. Il cucù (The cuckoo)
6. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 1~Balletto: Il Conte Orlando'
7. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 1~Gagliarda
8. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 1~Villanella
9. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 1~Passo mezzo e Mascherada
10. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 2~Laura soave. Balletto con gagliarda, saltarello e canario
11. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 2~Danza rustica
12. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 2~Campanae parisienses
13. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 2~Bergamasca
14. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 3~Italiana
15. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 3~Arie di corte
16. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 3~Siciliana
17. Ancient Dances and Airs, Suite No. 3~Passacaglia

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Neschling   Primary Artist,Conductor
Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Jacques Gallot   Original Material
Vincenzo Galilei   Original Material
Ottorino Respighi   Composer
Simone Molinaro   Original Material
Jean-Baptiste Besard   Original Material
Ludovico Roncalli   Original Material
Marin Mersenne   Original Material
Robert Suff   Executive Producer
Ingo Petry   Mixing,Editing,Producer,Post Production
Jean-Pascal Vachon   Liner Notes
Andrew Barnett   Typesetting,Liner Note Translation
Bernardo Pasquini   Original Material
Horst A. Scholz   Liner Note Translation
Fabritio Caroso   Original Material
Bernardo Gianoncelli   Original Material
Fabian Frank   Engineer
Marcio Scavone   Photography
George-Claudiu Tudorache   Leader
Gregorio Kogan   Portraits
Jean-Philippe Rameau   Original Material
David Kornfeld   Cover Design