Ewa Podles sings Respighi

This attractive disc is devoted to three of Respighi's smaller works. Gli Ucelli (The Birds), like the three sets of Ancient Airs and Dances, takes early music as its thematic basis. These are not simply arrangements, though; Respighi re-imagines the "ancient" dances in colorful late Romantic orchestrations that are notable for their charm, delicacy, and wit. The movements of Gli Ucelli are based on seventeenth and eighteenth century keyboard pieces with descriptive titles: the dove, the hen, the nightingale, and the cuckoo. Trittico botticelliano uses mostly original material (although the plainsong Veni Emmanuel figures prominently), but it also looks backward, both in its subject matter -- reflections on three paintings by Botticelli -- and in its form and musical gestures. Il Tramonto (The Sunset) is a setting of an Italian translation of a poem by Shelley, originally scored for mezzo-soprano and string quartet. It's performed here by Ewa Podles in an arrangement for string orchestra. The formidable Polish contralto has a large, loamy, soulful voice that she uses with great expressiveness and absolute control: it's beautifully suited to the passionate sentiment of the song. Michal Nesterowicz conducts the Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra "Leopoldinum" in polished and lively performances that make Respighi's orchestration really sparkle. The clear, clean sound quality vividly captures the details of the performance.