Respighi: Complete Solo Piano Music

D'Ambrosio, Michele

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) is widely considered one of the most important and successful Italian composers of the first half of the 20th century. His sumptuous, large scale orchestral works, like Pini di Roma and Fontane di Roma gained him world fame as a symphonist, colorist, and innovative orchestrator. It is less known that he wrote a substantial oeuvre for piano solo. This release contains the complete works for piano solo by Respighi. His two Piano Sonatas reveal a promising youth still under the influence of Schumann and Chopin, his 6 Pieces show his individual style: picturesque, charming, and colorful. Also included are the piano solo version of the famous “Ancient Dances and Airs for the lute” and the “3 Preludes” which were later successfully orchestrated by the composer under the title “Vetrate di Chiesa” (Church Windows). These tracks are excellent performances by Italian pianist Michele D’Ambrosio, who already recorded for Brilliant Classics the complete piano works by Alfredo Casella, which was hailed enthusiastically by the press, resulting in several 5 star reviews.

Price: $14.99