Customer Reviews

Ottorino Respighi: Belkis, Queen of Sheba (Orchestral Suite) / Metamorphoseon (Theme & Variations)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most people know Respighi only by his Roman Trilogy. This is indeed a shame, for many of his other works are just as brilliant and exciting. The works on this CD are no exception. Belkis, Queen of Sheba is an incredible warhorse or a work. Respighi pulls out all the stops for an action oriented, nonstop musical journey. The result leaves you kneeling on the floor (after you get up from being blown away by the immense power he achieves in the finale) praying that the local ballet company will decide to perform this piece so you can hear the whole entire thing! The Metamorphosen is another beautiful work by Respighi that is neglected. It shows a darker side of Respighi that doesn't show up quite as often as his colorful side. Both works are truly masterpieces. If you love big timpani and percussion (like me-being a timpanist and all), big brass, Arabian-style music, and huge finales, then this is the CD for you. Respighi is the man! Be sure to check out the recording of Church Windows and Brazilian Impressions (don't get me started on those!) on the same label with the same orchestra while you're at it!

There are few CDs that I have enjoyed more than this one. Belkis, Queen of Sheba is an exotic ballet (80 minutes in length) that tells the story of the journey of the Queen to the court of King Solomon. Respighi used a huge orchestra with instruments as the sitar and wind-machines. The music perhaps is bombastic, particularly the War Dance) but there are moments of exceptional beauty as in the Dance of Belkis at Dawn, where the Queen dances in honor of the newly risen Sun. The Orgiastic Dance is a frenzy of excitement of Dionysian proportions that brought the audience at the premiere to its feet. It would be interesting to hear the entire ballet music; the suite has only 22:30.

The Metamorphoseon is my favorite work of Respighi. It is a series of 12 variations written for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony in 1930. The work is more a concerto for orchestra with brilliant playing culminating a joyous conclusion. For people interested in Respighi's music, this is a must have disc. The sound is wonderfully clear and Geoffrey Simon and the Philharmonia perform beautifully.

Unlike most of the reviewers here, I'm not blindly in love with everything Respighi wrote. I consider "Church Windows" and "Brazilian Impressions" to be pretty weak. The pieces on this CD are no profound masterpieces themselves, but they are entertaining. "Belkis" is high on bombast and exotic tunes, while "Metamorphosen" provides some playfully thoughtful variations on a grand tune. This is a CD worth checking out if you like Respighi and/or over-the-top late-Romantic music.

When I bought the Chandos release of Respighi's "Church Windows" and "Brazilian Impresions", with the same orchestra and conductor, I just had to buy the next CD from Chandos. "Belkis, Queen of Sheba" and "Metamorphosen" are two fantastic works by Ottorino Respighi that has to be heard by every Respighi fan that's out there. Like "Church Windows," "Belkis" is bombastic and melodic. The 'War Dance' and 'Orgastic Dance' have very complex orchestrations that leave you wanting more. It's too bad that the complete version of "Belkis" isn't available yet, but I hope that Chandos has the will to release it sometime next year. "Metamorphosen" isn't impressionistic, meaning that it isn't intended for imagery. This is a very dark work that's full of different solo instruments: one six-minute movement contains solos from French Horn, Violin, Viola, Clarinet, Bassoon, Oboe, etc. It's beautiful and captivating, certainly a must to listen to.

Geoffrey Simon and the Philharmonia have the right verve, energy, ethereality, and wit that the two pieces require. The orchesta does lose track a bit in 'War Dance' but all in all, this is a very fine CD. A+

A gentle lovely story of a young priest (vicar) sent to a very remote Indian village far north, it is beautifully written. Parts of it read like poetry, and it is a wonderful story of how he becomes part of this community, before his untimely death at the end. I heartily recommend it.

Geoffrey Simon had already proven himself an insightful and perhaps even ideal champion of Respighi before the arrival of the disc at hand (originally issued in 1985, if I am not mistaken). Now, this is not the only recording available for either work, though they remain rare, and I cannot imagine a more compelling and convincing advocacy for them than this. "Belkis, Queen of Sheba" is a full-length ballet completed in 1931, from which Respighi assembled a four-movement suite (the complete ballet appears to be unavailable on disc). The suite consists of four dances, two opulently meditative and atmospheric ones and two energetic ones, in turn martial and buoyant. Instead of picking actual numbers from the ballet, however, Respighi opted to draw on several sequences to stitch together the movements (perhaps the suspicion that we get all the highlights has prevented a revival of the whole work), but none of the numbers sound anything but convincingly coherent. Stylistically I cannot imagine anyone who warms to Scheherazade and the Fountains of Rome could fail to be immensely enjoyed by this music - perhaps not Respighi's very greatest, but marvelously colorful, brilliant, imaginative and melodically memorable nonetheless.

The Metamorphoseon (also from 1931) was written for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (same occasion as Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms). It is a primarily a set of variations though as with Richard Strauss's work of almost the same title it is construed as a far-arching, systematic progress of transformation to a conclusion (though it reminds one more of Elgar's Enigma Variations than Strauss's Metamorphosen). What is a little surprising is how formally impressive the work is; coherently argued, nicely contrasted, but of course with the spectacular scoring and array of nuances and moods that most listeners undoubtedly associate with the composer. Still, the means are slightly more economic than in many of Respighi's works, partially I suppose as an effect of his love for plainchant being brought to bear. The heart of the work is the lengthy cadenza in which each instruments receive a chance to shine (and the Philharmonia members truly rise to the task), but the joyful finale actually achieves a convincing conclusion to a very appealing, imaginative and rewarding work.

The performances are, as already hinted at, superb. The textures produced by the Philharmonia Orchestra are rich, lush, and deep, yet clear; they achieve plenty of color, flair, power and momentum and capture the moments of rapturous beauty and intensely evocative atmosphere perfectly. The sound is really outstanding as well, and all in all this is a major addition to the catalogue, recommended without any serious reservations.

1-Queen of Sheba: an unusual and rather unknown piece by Respighi, yet showing great fantasy in its construction, supported by a brilliant orchestration.
2-Metamorphoseon: instrumental solo branos characterized by a great melodic making; the London Philarmonic is wonderful as usual

I have bought dozens of music downloads from Amazon.com. This is the first one that I wish I had not bought. Terrible download. The transitions from one variation to another in the Metamorphosen are not smooth and there are dropouts in at least three movements of that work, especially right after a change from one movement to the next. I would advise being very cautious when purchasing this one. Suggestion: Have the Metamorphosen available for purchase as ONE item, not 12 or 13.