Three other great recordings
Tamás Vásáry (conductor)
The now disbanded Bournemouth Sinfonietta, a chamber orchestra sibling of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, is on sparkling form for Respighi, with excellent recorded sound. The bright colours and rhythmic drive of ‘Spring’ seem to come from the same world as Stravinsky’s Petrushka in conductor Tamás Vásáry’s hands, while he draws out the lyricism of ‘Adoration of the Magi‘. And while his ‘The Birth of Venus‘ is fast, none of the detail or delicacy is lost. The great hymn to beauty truly seems to emerge from a swirling sea. (Chandos CHAN 8913)
Richard Hickox (conductor)
Richard Hickox relishes the rich colours of Respighi’s writing in this performance, and overall takes a more expansive view compared to Marriner. There’s an almost luxurious quality to the City of London Sinfonia’s expressive playing. If the central movement misses the last ounce of atmosphere, the magical delicacy of the rippling waves at the start of the third paves the way for a superbly characterised finale. Best of all is the sense of majesty and awe created here, ideally fit for
a goddess making landfall on a giant seashell. (Collins Classics CC-1349)
John Neschling (conductor) There’s a gentler, more atmospheric feel to this Botticelli Triptych, which appears on the fifth instalment of John Neschling’s complete Respighi cycle. The Brazilian conductor and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège are perhaps at their finest in the nativity sequence, with eloquent wind solos. Veni, veni Emmanuel is imbued with a hauntingly ‘ancient’ feel that recalls Vaughan Williams and his Tallis Fantasia. And although tempos are on the slower side, the performance never drags. In fact, there’s a welcome spaciousness that allows the music to breathe. (BIS BIS-2250)
And one to avoid…
There are good things about this 2015 recording from the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma and Francesco La Vecchia. Not least, it comes as part of the only current complete recorded set of Respighi’s orchestral works (Brilliant Classics), which may well be more than enough of an appeal to listeners. Yet compared to other recordings, La Vecchia’s take feels rather unrefined and raw – including what sounds like a rogue oboe note at the end of ‘Spring’.