Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) was the leading Italian orchestral composer of his generation, and one of history’s supreme masters of orchestral colour. Trained in Italy and, crucially, in Russia, where he studied briefly with Rimsky-Korsakov, the great wizard of orchestration, he absorbed a dazzling command of instrumental sound that he applied to a distinctly Italian sensibility. At a time when Italian music meant, above all, opera, Respighi was unusual in devoting himself to the orchestra. He is best known for his brilliant ‘Roman trilogy’ of tone poems (Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals) celebrating the sights, history and atmosphere of the Eternal City. A scholar as well as a colourist, he was also fascinated by early music, lovingly arranging Renaissance and Baroque pieces. His finest works combine spectacular orchestral virtuosity with vivid pictorialism and a warm lyrical gift.