JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic have made some very fine recordings for Naxos, but this isn’t one of their best efforts. Church Windows suffers from recessed percussion in the second and fourth movements, an anemic organ in the latter, and a general lack of panache that simply isn’t offset by the very beautiful and detailed playing in the quieter movements. Similarly, the concluding tarantella of Rossiniana falls strangely flat: it needs more rhythmic edge and tension. Brazilian Impressions, a gentler piece altogether, comes off best, but then there are many excellent recordings of this music, starting with Dorati’s on Mercury Living Presence. If you must have this particular coupling, and I must admit it’s well calculated to close a gap in many a Respighi collection, these are thoroughly professional efforts in music that simply needs more charisma than the performers offer. You can do better, albeit at the cost of having to acquire several discs.
