...From Ancient Airs

"Respighi Lives in the Chamber Orchestra of New York"

2012-02-04T21:33:00.002-05:00

"Respighi Lives in the Chamber Orchestra of New York" - Read Domenic Ambrose's review on his blog about our Feb. 3, 2012 concert at Caspary Auditorium, Rockefeller University: http://bit.ly/yZcaAp

The performance included the U.S. Premiere of Ottorino Respighi's Serenata for small orchestra, Richard Strauss' Duet Concertino, Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring (original chamber version for 13 instruments), with an encore of Respighi's Aria for strings. It was a full house, standing room only!

Baroque Garden of Roses Concert - Dec. 3rd 8PM

2011-12-01T20:52:00.001-05:00

BAROQUE GARDEN OF ROSES

Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 8:00pm

Presented in part by the Church of St. Jean Baptiste - Music Under the Dome

HOLST, G. St. Paul Suite

ELGAR, E. Sospiri (Sighs)

RESPIGHI, O. (ed. Di Vittorio) Suite in G Major, for organ (U.S. Premiere)

Kyler Brown (Director of Music, Church of St. Jean Baptiste), organ

SCARLATTI, A. Oratorio "The Garden of Roses" (U.S. Premiere)

The Virgin Consort, Kyler Brown (organ)

Church of St. Jean Baptiste

Lexington Avenue at 76th Street, New York, NY 10021

Our Baroque Garden of Roses begins with two English gems: Holst's energetic St. Paul Suite and Elgar's sentimental Sospiri. The program features Respighi's rediscovered Suite for Organ and strings, which will be premiered with organist Kyler Brown (Director of Music, Church of St. Jean Baptiste). Mr. Brown and The Virgin Consort will then join the Chamber Orchestra and Maestro Di Vittorio with its premiere of the recently published Oratorio "The Garden of Roses" by Alessandro Scarlatti. A gorgeous display of madrigal-like arias, this recently restored oratorio was considered one of Scarlatti's masterpieces. Songs from this Oratorio have recently been championed by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli.

Visit the Concert Season page for information and to purchase tickets.

http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org

AUTUMN PRELUDE AT EVENTI HOTEL PLAZA - OCTOBER 6, 2011

2011-10-02T01:40:00.001-04:00

AUTUMN PRELUDE AT EVENTI HOTEL PLAZA

Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 6:00pm

Presented in part by Eventi Hotel & Big Screen Plaza

Selections from...

VIVALDI, A. Winter from The Four Season

Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin

CORELLI, A. Concerto in G Minor

RESPIGHI, O. (ed. Di Vittorio) Suite for strings & Aria

MOZART, W.A. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Eventi Hotel

851 Avenue of the Americas (at 29th Street), New York, NY 10001

Open to the public!

Experience highlights from the Chamber Orchestra's acclaimed Naxos debut CD recordings and other classics, as the musicians perform live on the Eventi Hotel's Plaza and are featured on its giant multi-media big screen. Enjoy food and drinks from the adjacent FoodParc and Bar Basque!

Announcing Fourth Season & New Logo!

2011-09-28T19:01:00.001-04:00

Announcing Fourth Season & New Logo! Check out our Concert Season page and we look forward to seeing you at next week's FREE Eventi Hotel & Plaza performance on October 6th. For more information, visit our Concert Season page at http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/concert_season.html.

About "Overtura Respighiana"

2011-08-18T18:17:00.001-04:00

The following is a more detailed overview of Overtura Respighiana:

I composed Overtura Respighiana (Respighiana Overture) in 2008, one year before completing Ottorino Respighi's rediscovered first Violin Concerto - the latter, a commission which I received from Respighi's family descendants and leading archive curator in Italy.

The work served two purposes: first, an homage not only to Ottorino Respighi but his homage works on Gioacchino Rossini (namely La Boutique Fantasque and Rossiniana); second, a personal thank you to Respighi's family for their permission to honor Respighi's name and entrusting me with the editing and completion of several early Respighi manuscripts for publication (in their first printed editions), premieres and recordings with the orchestra that now bares his name Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi".

My initial plans for the overture began with a reworking of Respighi's above transcriptions of Rossini's piano music, Les Riens. During the compositional process, I realized a musical connection between the final movement Elegy of my own Sinfonia No. 2 and Respighi's introduction of Pines of Rome. There was a strong resemblance between my variation on an Italian nursery rhyme at the ending of my Sinfonia and Respighi's 'children's theme' at the beginning of his Pines.

The Overture begins with a reflection on Pines of Rome, citing a reinvention of the principal elements of Rossiniana and the ending of Sinfonia No. 2. My goal for the introduction was to capture Respighi’s orchestral aesthetic at the beginning of Pines, but with entirely different and original motives and melodies. At first listening, the notes may seem quite similar, but they are not. Each orchestral line of the introduction is in fact original, not borrowed out of Pines. Only the choices and placements of instruments remain similar, not the melodies. As a result, this is perhaps the most difficult work I've had to write over recent years.

Through a series of fanfares, the music leads to a variation of the March from La Boutique Fantasque. Though this section remains the most similar in its reinvention, every single motive has been reworked to achieve varied harmonies – a playful reconstruction.

A brief sarabande interrupts, which introduces an entirely new Renaissance-styled melody, only inspired from the Valse Lente movement of La Boutique. Looking back, one may hear echoes of Hector Berlioz if not Richard Strauss colors and effects throughout the orchestration. This is the most deeply reflective moment of the Overture.

Through musical interruptions which serve as reminders of the work’s powerful introduction, we are led to a happy tarantella dance alla Rossini. Using similar ornamentation as Rossini overtures, this Overture ends with a full-fledged Rossini rocket or crescendo effect. The tarantella melody is entirely original, though somewhat inspired by the noted nursery rhyme motif in my own Sinfonia No. 2. The same may be said of the related French horn motif at the beginning of the Overture, also original. The coda is a return of the middle section sarabande, in tutti.

Overtura Respighiana thereby fuses Gioacchino Rossini’s influence on Ottorino Respighi, with both of their influences on my own orchestral musical language.

If you wish to sample Overtura Respighiana, visit:
http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/music_director.html

Salvatore Di Vittorio
Music Director, Chamber Orchestra of NY

Fourth Season 2011-2012 Press Release!

2011-08-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

August 12, 2011

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeffrey James Arts Consulting

516-586-3433 or jamesarts@att.net

Chamber Orchestra of New York Announces 2011-2012 Concert Season

– Fourth Season Repertoire Includes U.S. Premieres

The Chamber Orchestra of New York “Ottorino Respighi” and its Music Director Salvatore Di Vittorio has announced details of their Fourth Season, 2011-2012:

Saturday, December 3 at 8:00 PM - The seasons’ opening concert will be presented at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste, Lexington Avenue at 76th Street in Manhattan.

Featured artists will be The Virgin Consort choral ensemble in the U.S. Premiere of Scarlatti’s oratorio “Il Giardino di Rose” and organist Kyler Brown in Respighi’s Suite for organ and strings.

Other upcoming season highlights include a restoration of Ottorino Respighi’s orchestration of Claudio Monteverdi’s extant Il Lamento di Arianna (from his lost second opera “Arianna”), and other rediscovered early works of Respighi such as his Tre Liriche for mezzo-soprano and orchestra – once championed by Luciano Pavarotti. These works will be showcased alongside staples of the classical repertoire, including: Beeethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”, Barber’s Adagio for strings, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on Theme of Paganini, and Mozart’s Missa Brevis in B flat Major.

Venues for 2012 concerts will include Caspary Auditorium of The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue (for the February 3 concert), the Church of St. Jean Baptiste (for the April 21 concert) and Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street (for the May 10 concert). Repertoire and soloists for these concerts are TBA.

For season details, including ticket information, please call 646-397-1879 or visit this webpage for updates in the coming weeks.

These concerts celebrate the recent release of the Chamber Orchestra of New York’s internationally acclaimed debut Naxos CDs, which feature Respighi’s rediscovered string works and first Violin Concerto (in A Major) as well as Salvatore Di Vittorio’s homage, Overtura Respighiana.

The all-Respighi album (Naxos 8.572332) was named WQXR “Album of the Week” in New York (June 27, 2011), “Album of the Month” in Italy (for June and July 2011), and listed on Gramophone’s Top 20 Classical Chart for several weeks. The recordings are airing on national and international radio stations, including BBC and RAI Radio, and receiving many wonderful reviews. Much more about these CDs visit our Discography and Reviews webpages.

Chamber Orchestra of New York is a professional orchestra founded in 2006 by composer/conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio. It is composed of leading young professional musicians in the early stages of their careers, and serves as the premier orchestra devoted to the Italian classical repertoire in New York and the U.S. It was established in honor of Ottorino Respighi to present the great orchestral repertoire, with a focus on ancient music and its influences on later composers, including the works of Italian masters and undiscovered (or rarely performed) gems which complement and extend the classical tradition. Following Respighi’s legacy, the Chamber Orchestra of New York fosters a deep respect for antiquity by incorporating into its programming masterpieces of the baroque and classical eras alongside neo-baroque and neo-classical repertoire of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

In collaboration with Honorary Board Members, Respighi's great nieces Elsa and Gloria Pizzoli, archive curator Potito Pedarra, and musicologist Luigi Verdi, Music Director Salvatore di Vittorio and the Chamber Orchestra of New York have established The Respighi Prize Music Competition with the City of Bologna (Respighi's birthplace) and the Ottorino Respighi Publications Series with publisher Edizioni Panastudio of Palermo, Italy. For more about these projects, visit our Respighi Prize Competition and Ottorino Respighi Publications webpages.

For press inquiries or more about the Chamber Orchestra of New York and Salvatore Di Vittorio, please contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@att.net

In Italy: Album of the Month!

2011-08-06T11:28:00.002-04:00

In Italy: Album of the Month!

Following its success on England's Gramophone Classical Chart, our debut all-Respighi Naxos recording (8.572332) has been named "Album of the Month" in Italy by Ducale Music, for June and July of 2011.

Nationwide Radio Broadcasts in Italy

Our recordings have been aired on WQXR in New York and BBC in London, and across the U.S. in over 20 cities. Now they are also being featured on leading Italian radio stations, including:

Radio Classica (Milan)
RAI 3 (Turin)
Radio RAI International (Rome)
Toscana Classica (Florence)
Venice Classical Radio (Venice)
...and will soon air on other national and European radio stations!

Di Vittorio Album Released on CD

Our second Naxos recording (8.572333) was released July 26th on CD. It features Salvatore Di Vittorio's Respighi homage Overtura Respighiana and his first two Sinfonias.

More Great Reviews

Read what the critics continue to say on our website, visit Reviews.

Read our most recent Newsletter: http://bit.ly/nyISra

Why are the new Respighi editions even necessary?

2011-07-09T14:36:00.011-04:00

I thought I'd write a few words regarding a recent question which was forwarded to me - and, I admit, it's a good one. Why are the new Respighi editions even necessary?

The question refers to a recent blog, where I wrote:
"In 2008, I published an homage to Ottorino Respighi called Overtura Respighiana with [publisher] Panastudio. In 2009, I published my completion of Respighi's first Violin Concerto in A Major, an invitation I had received by the leading Respighi family affiliates. And that publication was followed by my editions of Respighi's Aria for strings, and Suite for strings in 2010."

Until 2009, printed editions (meaning professional computer-generated score and parts) of many Respighi early works including the Aria, the Suite, and then incomplete Violin Concerto in A Major did not exist in publication. Only the autograph manuscripts of the Aria and Suite scores were preserved in various Respighi archives in Italy (and with certain older publishers, but never a printed edition!)

For this reason, Respighi's great nieces and archive cataloger/curator Potito Pedarra recommended that we begin the work of editing these and other early Respighi works for publication, premieres and recordings with the Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi", and performances with other orchestras worldwide.

Much of the credit then goes to publisher Franceso Panasci and Edizioni Panastudio (Palermo) for their entrepreneurial vision and courage in establishing the Ottorino Respighi Publications series, thus recognizing the shared efforts of our Orchestra and the Respighi affiliates, supporting the historical significance of Respighi's early works.

The Suite was only edited for publication. The published score indicates "revisata" which in the Italian publishing world means "edited" not necessarily revised, as has been mistakenly used in its place.

The Aria was slightly transcribed, to be precise in two particular areas, only to allow the work suitable for (not just string orchestra but) string quintet in academic situations - an initiative in itself to promote the work to young musicians in music conservatories.

The Violin Concerto in A Major was left unfinished by Respighi, with the third movement in piano reduction (including solo violin part), and a handful of measures orchestrated. I was given the task of enhancing the orchestration (editing, cleaning up, confirming and at times adding doublings etc) in the first two movements and then completing the third movement following Respighi's aesthetic, and his vision of a rondo finale.

I hope this answers the question presented. We all look forward to the next set of printed scores in the Ottorino Respighi Publications series.

Salvatore Di Vittorio
Music Director, Chamber Orchestra of NY

Ottorino Respighi Publications
Panastudio

Respighi CD Continues on Gramophone Chart!

2011-07-09T13:27:00.001-04:00

Still going strong! Our debut Naxos, Respighi CD is on the Gramophone Top 20 Classical Chart, for five consecutive weeks! Ranked 15th during the week of July 2nd!

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/chart

Ongoing reviews, available on Discography page:

http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/discography.html

Happy Birthday Ottorino Respighi! Born July 9, 1879

2011-07-09T01:20:00.000-04:00

Chamber Orchestra of New York "Ottorino Respighi" celebrates Respighi's July 9th birth anniversary with the release of its first two Naxos albums. Visit our Discography page for more information:

http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/discography.html

Rare Gems from Respighi - WQXR

2011-06-27T09:48:00.003-04:00

WQXR Names our Naxos Debut Respighi CD as Album of the Week! Click on link to see full article, and stay tuned to WQXR Classical Radio 105.9FM.

Rare Gems from Respighi; Personal Works by Lieberson and Theofanidis - WQXR

Critic's Review of our Debut Naxos Respighi CD: MusicWeb International

2011-06-21T22:47:00.001-04:00

Read the first critic's review of the Chamber Orchestra's Debut Naxos Respighi CD, which features Respighi's rediscovered early works including the First Violin Concerto, Aria, Suite for strings, and his later well-known Rossiniana.

The article is written by critic Ian Lace on MusicWeb-International.
Visit: http://musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/June11/Respighi_vc_8572332.htm

Debut CD Ranks 10th on Gramophone Top 20 Classical Chart!

2011-06-19T17:37:00.000-04:00

We are happy to announce that our Debut CD on Naxos "Respighi, Violin Concerto" has been ranked 10th on the Gramophone Top 20 Classical Chart! Visit the Gramophone website for the full listing. It has made the Gramophone Top 20 Classical Chart in its first two weeks of release.
http://t.co/D4Y9Pzi

Naxos Records Releases Orchestra's Debut CD!

2011-06-15T00:42:00.008-04:00

The Chamber Orchestra of New York announces the release of its Debut CD on Naxos Records!

Naxos, 8.572332

Ottorino Respighi, Violin Concerto (in A Major)/Aria/Suite for strings/Rossiniana

About this recording: Ottorino Respighi’s rediscovered First Violin Concerto of 1903, completed by Salvatore Di Vittorio in 2009, harks back to the concerto writing of Vivaldi and Mendelssohn and foreshadows Respighi’s later masterwork such as Pines of Rome. The elegant Aria and lyrical Suite for strings reveal Respighi’s love of Baroque music, the latter an homage to Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite. Rossinana is an exquisite reworking of Gioacchino Rossini’s late piano pieces, Les riens (Trifles).

Featured Artist: Laura Marzadori, violin.

Salvatore Di Vittorio has been named Naxos Artist of the Week!

Visit our Discography page for more information:

http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/discography.html

Purchase on Naxos, Amazon or iTunes!

OR Receive FREE CD with a minimum $50 Donation

and your name will appear in the season programs!

The Respighi Prize Music Competition, Deadline Extended

2011-05-30T17:23:00.006-04:00

Due to a high number of inquiries regarding eligibility and guidelines: The first annual Respighi Prize International Music Competition deadline has been extended to June 30, 2011.

About the Competition: The Respighi Prize International Music Competition was established with leading Respighi affiliates, and endorsed by the city of Bologna, Italy (Respighi's city of birth). It is open to young composers and soloists (including operatic singers and instrumentalists) under the age of 40.

For more information, please visit our Competitions page:
http://www.chamberorchestraofnewyork.org/competitions.html

Questions should be directed to: info@chamberorchestraofnewyork.org

My Adventures Publishing Music Abroad

2011-05-19T00:24:00.003-04:00

I thought this latest entry may be, if anything, informative (if not amusing) to young composers interested in publishing their music with foreign editors. I have certainly experienced a few adventures recently, publishing a few scores under the Ottorino Respighi Publications series with Edizioni Panastudio in Italy.

My reflection here has very little to do with this or any other foreign publisher, or with the Italian performing rights organization SIAE (Societa' Italiana Degli Autori ed Editori/Society of Italian Authors and Publishers), but more with the difference in the process involved in publishing abroad.

I should perhaps note that SIAE is affiliated with ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) in the U.S. I am a member of, and register my compositions with, both organizations.

In 2008, I published an homage to Ottorino Respighi called Overtura Respighiana with Panastudio. In 2009, I published my completion of Respighi's first Violin Concerto in A Major, an invitation I had received by the leading Respighi family affiliates. And that publication was followed by my editions of Respighi's Aria for strings, and Suite for strings in 2010.

The standard practice in the U.S. calls for composers to register their composition titles with their respective performing rights organization, e.g. ASCAP or BMI etc. That is, provided that the composer's publisher is based in the U.S.

In recent times, registering composition titles means simply that, registering only titles and not submitting copies of the original or printed manuscript. I don't know exactly when the process was changed or updated to the current practice in the U.S., but in Europe (at least in Italy) I can account for the fact that the old tradition is still in effect to this very day.

In Italy, a composer or the office of the publisher (on behalf of the composer) must submit a copy of each original score to be published with the local SIAE office, along with the proper application and documentation. In normal circumstances involving original scores, this is by no means uncommon. But, with the above mentioned Respighi editions, the European process can be challenging at times. I imagine that similar scrutiny would probably apply to cases involving the publication of transcriptions in the U.S.

Registering Overtura Respighiana was, naturally, not an issue, as it is an original work only in homage to other composers, Respighi and also Rossini. However, the Violin Concerto was an entirely different story.

First, I submitted a copy of my completed manuscript and printed scores to the publisher. Then the fun began.... The publisher registered (as mentioned above) a copy of the Concerto manuscript and printed score with its local SIAE office in Palermo. Shortly thereafter, the central SIAE office in Rome requested information to fully document the nature of my work in completing the Concerto. This was followed by a SIAE request for the autograph Respighi manuscript. Lastly, I received a SIAE request to submit a copy of Respighi's piano reduction of the extant third movement introduction.

What's going on here? Basically, a SIAE "commission" (or committee) is organized to review all materials when a composer, editor, arranger or orchestrator publishes a work of a previous composer, whether the work itself is public domain or not. The committee's review is not specifically musicological in nature but rather, a general research process to confirm authenticity of authorship. The entire process, from beginning to end, took about sixteen months. Just when the publisher and I thought the process was over, SIAE would request additional verification.

Similar events detail the review process for the Aria, and the Suite for strings. Step by step, all of the same happenings repeated themselves. Deja vu. Countless requests for autograph manuscripts, printed scores, explanations of compositional plans, letters of verification from the late composer in question - This is a lesson to young composers: Get it in writing!

What is the lesson here? Don't publish your music in Europe? Well, maybe not that. But be sure you are passionately and artistically invested in those works you wish to publish overseas, especially if the occassion involves the music of other well known or major composers.

Salvatore Di Vittorio
Music Director, Chamber Orchestra of NY

Welcome! "From Ancient Airs"

2011-04-22T01:43:00.010-04:00

..."From Ancient Airs" is the new blog of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. As Music Director and Founder, I warmly invite all of our friends, fellow musicians and colleagues, and all interested visitors, to be part of this new, music community.

The Chamber Orchestra of NY "Ottorino Respighi" is a relatively new auditioned ensemble, which came to life in October of 2007, with a debut at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall. We are dedicated to promoting leading young professional musicians, and feature the music of Ottorino Respighi as well as other masters.

Like Respighi, we endeavor to contribute (in our own way) to an evolving renaissance of musical ideas, with an appreciation for the continuity of tradition. The blog has been named after Respighi's famous works Ancient Airs and Dances Nos. 1-3.

We have established this blog as an open venue for us to share thoughts and reflections about all of our music making experiences and observations or critique, from concerts and recordings to academic teaching and research; also to discuss any variety of related topics involving the diverse classical (although not exclusively) music scene including chamber and all forms of contemporary music. I hope that this forum will also provide food for thought regarding interdisciplinary issues and connections pertaining to music as well: all arts (from architecture to painting and film), literature and philosophy, languages if not history etc.

Each contributor will surely bring his/her own visions. Each vision its own enlightened journey. As one of my former teachers Ludmila Ulehla (of Manhattan School of Music) said once to me..."Wishing you happiness and the joy of finding new surprises -- as a chord that glitters and melodies that truly sing."

Enjoy!

Salvatore Di Vittorio

Music Director, Chamber Orchestra of NY

Background photo: Ancient Greek Theater of Siracusa (Sicily) Italy