(Bologna, July 9th, 1879 - Rome April 18th, 1936)
Starting as a pupil of Martucci in Bologna, Respighi's musical journey took him to various places. He began as the first violinist at the Petersburg Theatre in 1900, where he had the opportunity to study with Rimski-Korsakov. His musical education continued in 1902 with Bruch in Berlin. He then joined the Mugellini Quintet as a violinist and returned to Berlin from 1908 to 1909. However, his true calling was composition, and from 1913, he served as a composition teacher at the Conservatory of S. Cecilia in Rome. He later directed the conservatory from 1924 to 1925 before dedicating himself entirely to his work as a composer.
Respighi's models were initially classical, but he soon felt the influence of the French impressionists (Debussy), Rimski-Korsakov, and R. Strauss, the most outstanding representative of late Germanic romanticism. From these musicians, he learned the confident instrumentation technique and a taste for the color that will remain characteristic throughout his production. The contact with these currents of European music allowed him a specific cultural update. Still, he soon felt the need for a constant link with the Italian tradition and with the musical elements of our popular culture, so he lowered his sensitivity, so inclined to naturalism and not always supported by a confident taste, a typically Italian theme, sometimes popular and specifically Roman, sometimes dating back to the past of instrumental music. Respighi's inclination towards liturgical singing is also interesting: in many of his compositions, he uses elements taken from the ancient Christian song, giving rise to modal harmonies, severe and singular simultaneously, and is remotely comparable to his contemporary Pizzetti. However, unlike these, he gave his best in symphonic production. He is also the author of nine theatrical works (including Belfagor from 1923 and La Fiamma from 1934), some ballets, and chamber, vocal and piano music. He also edited a transcription of Monteverdi's Orfeo.
Church stained glass windows. Four impressions for orchestra P. 150 (1927)
It is a symphonic fresco of great breadth and notable instrumental commitment. Although it does not have the freshness of the Pines or the Fountains of Rome, it remains a personal composition in which a brilliant and shrewd technique blends with intense lyricism and a clear formal conception.
The musician was inspired by four "stained glass windows" which represent different religious episodes: opens with "The escape into Egypt" ('Very slow'), based on the well-known episode from Gesti's life; then comes "S. Michele Arcangelo" ('Allegro impetuoso'), a piece of great descriptive force symbolizing the fight of the Saint with the dragon, while the third piece is "Il mattino di Santa Chiara" ('Lento'); at the end of the score comes "S. Gregorio Magno" ('Lento-Moderato'), a solemn hymn of joy to the Lord inspired by the figure of the great Pontiff. Note in the music the use of ancient liturgical modes, suitable for evocative recall of the atmosphere of an ancient church dominated by the four grandiose windows.
