Here’s a fine disc of less-usual Respighi. The main attraction is Metamorphoseon, a theme and variations on a lovely modal subject that resulted from that miraculous series of Koussevitsky/Boston Symphony commissions in the late 1920s and early 1930s that also brought us Hanson’s Romantic Symphony, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Roussel’s Third Symphony, and Hindemith’s Concert Music for Strings and Brass, among other masterpieces. Conductor George Hanson turns in a fine performance, nicely detailed, if without quite the textural richness and dynamic thrust of Geoffrey Simon’s Chandos recording. The remaining items are very appealing indeed: Rossiniana is predictably delightful, tuneful, and bright; the early (1906) Burlesca offers six minutes of fun; and the grand orchestration of Bach’s C minor Passacaglia brings the disc to an imposing conclusion. MDG’s hyper-detailed sound puts you right in the middle of the orchestra, whether you want to be there or not. A little bit more space around the instruments would have given the climaxes some welcome room to expand, but the chamber approach minimizes the suspicion that the string sections are not quite as large or luxurious in sound as would have been absolutely ideal–tiny quibbles, to be sure, and certainly not reasons to hesitate if the couplings appeal. [9/26/2001]
