Reviews

“A passionate evening for Respighi by Salvatore Di Vittorio on the podium with Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, yesterday at Teatro Politeama of Palermo, featuring violin soloist Laura Marzadori. Great sonorities opened the concert with [Di Vittorio’s] homage Overtura Respighiana and ended the atmosphere of twilight with his Sinfonia No. 3 “Templi di Sicilia” followed by Fountains of Rome. Di Vittorio’s Sinfonia No. 3 “Templi di Sicilia” is a commemorative memorial to ancient historical temples and cites visited in his native Sicily, with a dimension of insularity which during great peaks reveals suggestions of an international musical palette. Virtuosity was demonstrated by violinist Laura Marzadori with a splendid interpretation of Respighi’s Violin Concerto for its European premiere, a work which Di Vittorio has completed in critical edition especially enriching the first two movements and completing the final Rondo [Allegro]. Fountains of Rome was performed with a blaze of sonorities, a sentimental musical impression of sounds realized by this Palermo-born conductor’s vision, which served as a notable epilogue to the evening.”

“Respighi left [this] his first of four works for violin and orchestra, unfinished in 1903. …Completed by Salvatore di Vittorio, the [Violin Concerto in A Major] is an attractive work that grows on repeated hearing.”

“What is most striking about the pieces on this [Respighi] CD is how unlike those famous works they are, in sound and style. A good percentage of this music has been rescued by Salvatore Di Vittorio, who is credited with completing some of the orchestrations. He has reinvigorated [these] works such as the Violin Concerto, completing the last movement. It is quite beautiful and well worth our attention. The orchestral playing is solid.”

“Thanks to the enthusiasm of Salvatore Di Vittorio and the Chamber Orchestra of New York we now have an early Respighi Violin Concerto, completed by the conductor, with a selection of other orchestral works.”

“This great concerto is quite colorful, and played here with much passion by the Chamber Orchestra of New York. Di Vittorio has done a great job!

“Respighi’s sumptuous skills are well represented here…in this disc…an initiative by Salvatore Di Vittorio, an Italian conductor active in the U.S. This recording is important because Di Vittorio has recorded the world premiere of lesser known Respighi works, such as the first Concerto for Violin in A Major, revised and completed by him from the original manuscripts. A very risky operation, accomplished with intelligence….Bologna violinist, Laura Marzadori, gives an interpretation full of momentum, driving, not devoid of attention to the lyrical style that constitutes one of the remarkable aspects of [this] composer.”

“Overtura Respighiana…is a devilishly delightful concoction that plays on Respighi’s Rossiniana and Pines of Rome, fusing them with references to Di Vittorio’s own music, to create a kind of freshly minted Boutique fantasque. The brilliant swatches of instrumental color Di Vittorio weaves into and through the striking musical tapestry [of his Second Symphony] is reminiscent of Respighi’s way with the orchestral palette. His Ave Maria first…struck my ears as fairly dissonant…but as the piece unfolded, emerging from the harmonic counterpoint were passages that, with just a few minor adjustments to the voice leading, sounded as if they might have come from a cappella moments in Verdi’s Requiem…The effects of Di Vittorio’s piece are quite arresting, simultaneously stark and austere yet illuminated from within by a shimmering light that leads to a most meltingly beautiful cadential Amen. [Respighi’s] spirit hovers over [Sinfonia No. 1] in the luminous divided string writing and exquisite chiaroscuro effects. The music is sad, to be sure, even brooding, but more than once it put me in mind of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, a piece that is somehow uplifting in its tragedy. Di Vittorio proves himself…to be a composer of beautiful music extraordinaire. The Respighi [Violin] Concerto inhabits a world of lyrical sunshine that plays on the senses like a fresh breeze bearing scents of an Italian vineyard in spring. Thanks to the efforts of Di Vittorio, and the capable hands and sensitive voice of violinist Laura Marzadori, this romantically expressive score is brought to us complete for the first time. The [Suite for strings] is given…in a delightful performance by Di Vittorio’s orchestra.”

“Di Vittorio…is a musician of remarkable attainment. In his two short symphonies, he emerges as a composer of prodigious imagination and talent, generally tonal—though unafraid of dissonance and having occasional, though rare, flirtations with atonality. Some of Charles Ives’ blood, as well as Respighi’s, seem to course through his veins. The sense of color and shape, and the alternation of two-voice textures with various fuller orchestral sonorities in Lost Innocence, are impressive. The [Preludio from his] first symphony, Isolation…is superbly idiomatic and richly expressive. Di Vittorio’s prowess as a conductor is a complement to his compositional acumen…Whatever influences…the music is compellingly original…His Ave Maria for women’s voices seems to take Josquin’s much more patently linear setting as a point of departure, with some faint echoes of Verdi. But this music isn’t derivative: it is cast in a highly original musical language. Like Renaissance motets, it is put together in sections — in line with the text. DiVittorio seems, in a way, to write for chorus much as Frederick Delius did—that is, as if for strings. It is the same expressive quality that imbues his instrumental music, but it comes across in a refreshingly different way.”

“The beauty of the Violin Concerto’s composition makes clear its connection with Vivaldi, a work which has been orchestrated and completed via its third movement by the conductor on this recording, Salvatore Di Vittorio, who attentively maintains the nature and integrity of the work. In the Aria for strings the connection is then made for Corelli and Frescobaldi, while the Suite for strings returns to ancient music, as is evident with the development of the [titles of] its six movements.”

“The most noteworthy piece on this disc of Respighi rarities and premiere recordings is the early Violin Concerto, revised and completed by conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio. The first two movements are complete, the finale sketched out as to its initial thematic material. Di Vittorio has completed it quite effectively by turning it into a rondo based on the tunes of the earlier movements, a process very similar to that found in, say, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto or Bartók’s Second for that instrument. Suffice it to say that the piece sounds like genuine Respighi, with anticipations of such characteristic moments as the catacombs in The Pines of Rome. Laura Marzadori plays the piece very well, with a nice balance of lyrical fulsomeness and virtuoso flashiness. For fans of the composer this disc is a must, and I also can see the opening Aria for strings getting a good bit of radio play. It’s a charmer.”

“[The Orchestra’s] enthusiasm and that of their conductor is indisputable. His revisions, transcriptions and completions are sensitive to Respighi’s Neo-Baroque style…Laura Marzadori gives a most compelling reading [of the Violin Concerto], tenderly romantic in the slow movement and passionate in the exuberant finale. She is given sterling support by the talented and enthusiastic young orchestra and by the dedication of Di Vittorio… [Rossiniana] is a warm-hearted, breezy performance that competes well with other recordings…The recorded sound is first class…A notable release for Respighi enthusiasts.”

“The scoop: With this CD the repertoire finds Respighi channeling Italian baroque composers, namely Vivaldi, Corelli and Rossini, through the colorful prism of Respighi’s musical mind. A highlight of this recording is the playing by the Chamber Orchestra of New York, whose goal is fronting the work of Respighi and other Italian composers. The orchestra and soloist Marzadori prove more than up to the task. Highlight: Violin Concerto. Left unfinished by the composer in 1903, this concerto gets a revision and completion here. The work shifts from a frothy buoyancy to dark, luscious moments. The concerto is warmly performed by Marzadori, especially the poignant and unforgettable nine-minute second movement.”

“Salvatore di Vittorio proves more and more to be an important Italian composer. Following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor Ottorino Respighi, with his Overture Respighiana, one can also find hints of Scarlatti and Rossini or even Mahler in his narrative and elegiac music. [He] has composed an album of assured popularity.”

“So famous is Respighi for the Pines and Fountains of Rome — irresistible orchestral showpieces — and, to a lesser extent, the Ancient Airs and Dances and Church Windows and Roman Festivals that his unfinished Violin Concerto (among 200 Respighi compositions) didn’t stand much of a chance. With the work now revised and completed by this disc’s conductor, Salvatore DiVittorio, along with Respighi’s Aria and Suite for strings and Rossiniana…, you can’t help but respond with fascination to a composer too often dismissed as a master orchestrator without substance. He’s one of the great charmers, it seems to me.”

“Respighi’s Baroque leanings in his Aria and Suite for strings contrast with the out-and-out Romanticism of his Violin Concerto. Predating the Fountains of Rome by some years, the concerto inhabits a similar world of sound artfully allied to the dynamism familiar from violin concertos by Mendelssohn, Bruch and Brahms, together with the clarity of orchestration that Respighi inherited from Rimsky-Korsakov. Left unfinished in 1903, the concerto has been completed by Salvatore Di Vittorio, and its performance here is spirited.”

“Laura Marzadori, joined by the Chamber Orchestra of New York, presents a magnificent account [of the Violin Concerto]. The work, written in 1903, was revised and completed by composer/conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio, who directed its premiere last year. The Concerto also foreshadows the orchestral technicolour of the great Italian composer’s Roman Trilogy.”

“[The] Chamber Orchestra of New York ‘Ottorino Respighi’ has among its goals the promotion of Respighi’s works. This is a noble and worthwhile endeavor as many listeners are undoubtedly unfamiliar with the bulk of Respighi’s vast output apart from the extremely popular Roman Trilogy. The orchestra is made up entirely of young professional musicians, a model found less frequently in the US than abroad. Listening to this Naxos album, Di Vittorio’s orchestra sounds every bit as mature and seasoned as more veteran orchestras. Their program features Di Vittorio’s own revised version of the Suite for Strings, a work that can easily be counted among the great string serenades of Tchaikovsky, Elgar, and Dvorák. In the Suite, the able-bodied chamber orchestra produces a wonderfully rich, velvety tone that ideally complements Respighi’s melodious writing and expert scoring. The same appealing sound quality is achieved when the winds and brass join in for the Rossiniana Suite. Top billing on the program goes to the A Major Violin Concerto, P. 49. This concerto went unfinished by Respighi, and is heard here in a completed and revised version by Di Vittorio… The recording fills a gap in recordings of Respighi’s oeuvre, and is more than worthwhile for the Suite for strings alone.”

“Well over a century later, the violin appears in very different form in the 1903 Concerto in A by Ottorino Respighi. The composer never finished this work – the version heard in its world première on a new Naxos CD was revised and completed by conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio, who is himself a composer. This concerto is largely composed with a look backwards, toward the concertos of Mendelssohn and other Romantic-era composers, although its emotional content seems more like the donning of an expected garment than a genuine expression of inner feelings. There is a fair degree of virtuosic display here – all of which Laura Marzadori handles quite well – but not so much plumbing of emotional depths. The work is most interesting for its coloristic handling of the orchestra: written two decades before the Roman Trilogy, it foreshadows some of the effects that Respighi would later use. Also on this CD is another Respighi world première recording: the Aria for Strings, transcribed by Di Vittorio. It is a short and graceful work of no great importance. The Suite for strings, heard here in a Di Vittorio revision, is more substantial and more interesting, filled with grace and elegance that reflect the music and sensibilities of older times – which always fascinated Respighi, as shown most notably in his three suites of Ancient Airs and Dances. Indeed, this work somewhat resembles the third Ancient Airs and Dances suite, the only one written for strings rather than full orchestra. The fourth work on this CD is a suite of another sort: Rossiniana, which is less known and somewhat less ebullient than La Boutique Fantasque but carries much of the same verve in this nicely played performance. The CD as a whole offers a pleasant mixture of unknown Respighi works with one who’s comparative familiarity helps put the others in perspective.”

“Early, Modest Respighi…[Di Vittorio] has brought to the fore some early compositions by his band’s namesake, including an incomplete Violin Concerto, the third movement of which he has finished from the composer’s sketches, plus some extrapolation. [This] work features a lively, tuneful first movement followed by a subdued, romantic meditation. Di Vittorio wisely and idiomatically finishes the package with a 4½-minute finale from sketch fragments and motives from the first two movements. Respighi probably may not have been pleased, but audiences certainly will have a better feeling of completion listening to this round-off. Laura Marzadori does a fine job with her unchallenging solo violin score.”

“A Discovery! …the world premiere recording of a Violin Concerto by Respighi. If you don’t recognise the name, you may already know some of his music, for instance the lovely orchestral suite The Birds. The violin concerto just released harks back to the writing of Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, and foreshadows the orchestral technicolour of his later works. It’s the first time it has ever been recorded, and its arrival is to be warmly welcomed.”

“Hot on the heels of the recent rediscovery Respighi’s Violin Concerto, Salvatore Di Vittorio has recorded a disc of his own music, including Overtura Respighiana. Hailed by critics as “following in the footsteps of Respighi”, Salvatore Di Vittorio’s “serious, lyrical and romantic” work appears here in its ideal light: conducted by the composer and performed by the orchestra he founded in 2006, noted for its ‘stirring… voluptuous’ sound – The New York Times. Italian influences abound. Echoes of Rossini, Scarlatti and the Renaissance heighten this music’s narrative appeal, while the moving Sinfonia No. 2 turns more to the Germanic worlds of Brahms and Mahler for its elegiac message.”

“Salvatore Di Vittorio has demonstrated to be worthy of high recognition on numerous levels as a composer and conductor, as well as an emerging leading interpreter of the music of Ottorino Respighi…I have observed his powerfully evocative compositions, including Overtura Respighiana and Sinfonia No. 2. Together with the editions on Respighi, I can attest to Di Vittorio’s symphonic voice, a poignant and lyrical musical spirit respectful of the ancient Italian tradition.”

“Our family is proud of your continued work – as a composer and conductor – in promoting the music of (and in the footsteps of) our great uncle, Ottorino Respighi. We were very happy to hear the wonderful news of the success of the World Premiere and recording sessions in New York of your homage Overtura Respighiana (which you’ve dedicated to us) and Respighi’s rediscovered first violin concerto, Concerto per Violino (in La Maggiore), completed by you as composer. We wish to express our strong support for the promotion of these works and other Respighi archive works under your direction and revision to many conductors and orchestras worldwide.”

“Mr. Di Vittorio led his ensemble in the final concert of its inaugural season in a program called “Souvenir from Florence”, which highlighted the string section. The musicians played with vigor and commitment throughout the evening, producing a polished, rich sound. The Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5…received a stirring performance. The orchestra concluded the evening with a voluptous rendition of Tchaikovsky’s popular “Souvenir de Florence.”

“His conducting possesses a deep understanding of music, and the personalities involved with making music in a large orchestral setting. His style embraces the values of the old European traditions using a clear and concise beat, never letting the histrionics of so many of today’s conductors distract and detract from the music. His symphonic works hark back to the day of Mahler with their poignant and heartfelt lyricism coupled with tremendous moments of rhythmic tension using the complete color palette and scope of the full orchestra. It was very inspiring to hear this kind of music coming from a living composer.”

“Mr. Di Vittorio is a thoroughly trained musician of considerable skill and culture. He possesses a natural musicality which he transmits to the orchestra efficiently and clearly.”

“I strongly believe in Maestro Di Vittorio’s talent not only as an elegant conductor, but also as a gifted composer. His conducting style follows and respects the tradition of the Italian schools. After studying his symphonies and opera, I praise his beautiful compositions, his tonal melodic lines combined with original harmonic treatment and rhythmic vitality.”

“I am proud to witness that his conducting style follows in the footsteps of the Italian masters. He has a sincere respect for the European tradition, evidenced by his baton technique and podium presence. A composer of symphonies and operas, I can say without any doubt that Mr. Di Vittorio is one of the most talented young composers of his generation. He has a vivid sensitivity and a profound musical personality. His music is romantic, lyrical, serious, and dramatic.”

“Di Vittorio’s Sinfonia No.1 “Isolation” is a serious composition…profoundly muses on ‘man’s isolation from himself (his inner being and spirit) and his fellow man and the surrounding world.’ Overly ambitious as this sound, Di Vittorio beautifully meets the challenge. Isolation is a big work in five impressive movements. The Preludio is a long deeply felt slow-moving periodic sequence of long lines and rich harmonies. More dramatic, the Fantasia consists of rhythmic oddities and threatening tremolos. The Fugue struck me as particularly masterful. The composer was in the audience and received a well-deserved applause at the close of the performance.”

“I know how well Salvatore can handle all musical challenges, and I also feel that he will continue to achieve excellence in uniting his love of music with a scholarly, philosophical enrichment, on the podium and in the classroom. As a person, Salvatore conveys this excitement with much enthusiasm, the innocence and joy of finding and unfolding new avenues of musical understanding. His background list of accomplishments shows clearly his ability for organization at the highest level and the necessary energetic travail for a successful career as a composer, conductor, and educator. I am extremely confident that Salvatore will achieve great things.”

“I am impressed by Mr. Di Vittorio’s commitment to creating music that is at once new and respectful of traditional – music that communicates with an audience without pandering or patronizing.”

“Two of Respighi’s best-known works conducted by Salvatore Di Vittorio, the Italian musician specially commissioned by the composer’s family to promote his works. This new edition also comes from the conductor who has at his disposal the highly commended Chamber Orchestra of New York. They have the warmth of tonal quality required, while able to produce the required transparency when the music grows in intensity. The recording is unexaggerated and of a nice ambience.”

“Medal of Palermo by Mayor Orlando…Italian-born composer and conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio was awarded the Medal of Palermo by Mayor Leoluca Orlando, following his performances with Palermo’s Philharmonic – Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana. The concerts featured the music of Ottorino Respighi and Di Vittorio’s own compositions, including Sinfonia No. 3 “Templi di Sicilia”. Mayor Orlando recognized the great importance of the Palermo-born composer, a promoter of the city of Palermo around the world. Di Vittorio’s publisher Francesco Panasci of Panastudio was present for the event.”