After his Roman Tone Poem cycle, Respighi's most popular work is undoubtedly
his ballet after the music of Rossini. It is a delightful and sparkling
collection of melodies enhanced by Respighi's colourful orchestrations for
a tale about toys coming to life in a toy shop after closing time. Visitors
to the shop (American and Russian) had separately bought the male and female
Can-Can dolls but the toys are determined that they will not be parted from
each other and collectively drive the buyers from the shop when they call
to collect the dolls the next morning. During the ballet, each of the dolls
perform their dances: Mazurka, Cossak Dance, CanCan, Tarantella, Galop
and a Valse lente etc. This new release is quite simply the best
since the wonderful 1981Andrew Davis recording with the Toronto Symphony.
Respighi was drawn to South America by the establishment of both Brazilian
and Argentine branches of his publisher, Ricordi. In 1927 the composer visited
Brazil for concerts in São Paulo Respighi adored the country and was
especially impressed by the raw tropical light and shade and most of all
by his visit to the snake farm - the Instituto Butantan near São Paulo
where snakes were "milked" for their venom. Returning home, he wrote his
Impressioni Brasiliani. The first movement is a sensuous, langorous
perfumed evocation of a Notte tropicale. You sense the heavy, scented atmosphere
of a Brazilian night with a small band playing in the mid-distance and romance
in the air. The central movement is a startlingly vivid portrait of the snakes
slithering around at the Butanton snake farm. An allusion to the Dies irae
reminds us of their deadly bite.
The final movement Canzona e Danza is all colour and movement. Dutoit
delivers a brilliant reading that compares with the best of the competition
- Jesús López-Cobos with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
on Telarc (coupled with Respighi's Church Windows).
Reviewer
Ian Lace
Orchestre
Symphonique De Montreal conducted by Charles
Dutoit
