Ancient Airs and Dances,
Set 3
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)

THE STORY

   In addition to his work as a composer, Ottorino Respighi was a music scholar with a particular interest in Italian music from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. With his Ancient Airs and Dances, he transcribed Italian and French lute music (the lute was a guitar-like Baroque instrument)—and succeeded in creating a colorful orchestration without tampering with the original harmonies. His masterful skill was likely thanks in part to two years spent in Russia studying orchestration with Rimsky-Korsakov.
   Composed in 1931, the third set of Ancient Air and Dances was arranged for strings only, and a noble yet melancholy mood persists through much of the work. With only rare moments when the full ensemble plays together, Respighi maintains the sense of intimacy that would have been found in the original pieces.

LISTEN FOR

• The graceful triple-meter dance of Italiana
• A stately introduction by the cellos in Arie di Corte (“Courtly Airs”)
• The lilting dance of Siciliana
• Variations on a violin melody, gradually building in intensity throughout Passacaglia

INSTRUMENTATION

Strings