Respighi in New York

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1929, the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi completed his trilogy of symphonic tone poems based on Roman scenery and history with the premiere performance of his “Roman Festivals.”

Unlike the first two installments in this series, “The Fountains of Rome” from 1917 and “The Pines of Rome” from 1924, which were both premiered in Rome by Italian orchestras, the premiere of “Roman Festivals” occurred in America at Carnegie Hall, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

“All three of the compositions which form that cycle are conspicuous brilliant instrumental effects,” wrote music critic Olin Downes in his New York Times review the following day. “Roman Festivals however, fairly caps the climax for sheer orchestral sonority and brilliance of effect. It may be said, in fact, that no Richard Strauss or Stravinsky either has beaten Mr. Respighi in securing amazing and deafening noise from an orchestra."

"But it is also true,” continues Downes, “that the first part has something more than mere racket. It is really wild and brutal music, the dramatic idea being the howls and cries of the crowd at the Circus Maximus, the salutations for Nero, the opening of the iron gates and the roaring of beasts, the hymn of the Christians about to be slaughtered... The passage is short, but of a stunning power." "All this program material furnishes Mr. Respighi opportunity for descriptive writing,” concludes the review, “but the music is of no merit.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Ottorino Resphigi (1879 — 1936) Roman Festivals Philadelphia Orchestra; Riccardo Muti, cond. Angel/EMI 47316

On This Day

Births

• 1801 - Czech composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda, in Prague;

• 1836 - French composer Léo Delibes, in St. Germain du Val, Sarthe;

• 1844 - French composer and organist Charles Marie Widor, in Lyons;

Deaths

• 1996 - American composer and conductor Morton Gould, age 82, in Orlando, Fla.

Premieres

• 1727 - Bach: Sacred Cantata No. 52 ("Ich habe genug") performed on the Feast of the Purification as part of Bach's third annual Sacred Cantata cycle in Leipzig (1725/27);

• 1744 - Handel: oratorio “Semele,” in London (Julian date: Feb. 10);

• 1749 - Handel: oratorio “Susanna” in London (Julian date: Feb. 10);

• 1886 - Mussorgsky (arr. Rimsky-Korsakov): opera “Khovanschchina,” posthumously, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 9);

• 1907 - Delius: opera, "A Village Romeo and Juliet," in Berlin;

• 1909 - Liadov: “Enchanted Lake” for orchestra, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 8);

• 1917 - Rachmaninoff: “Etudes-tableaux,” Op. 39 (Gregorian date: March 6);

• 1920 - Milhaud: ballet "Le Boeuf sur la toît," in Paris;

• 1929 - Respighi: orchestral suite, "Roman Festivals," by the New York Philharmonic, Toscanini conducting;

• 1946 - Roy Harris: "Memories of a Child's Sunday," by the New York Philharmonic with the composer conducting;

• 1948 - Cowell: Suite for Woodwind Quintet, by an ensemble at the McMillan Theater of Columbia University in New York City; This work was written in 1933 for the French flutist Georges Barrère, but the score and parts remained lost until 1947.