New. Respighi: Sinfonia drammatica
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Robert Trevino
Awards:
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Record Review, 13th June 2026, Record of the Week
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Presto Recording of the Week, 5th June 2026
The engineering captures plenty of detail... the brass make plenty of impact, thundering their oration in the Lento religioso... [Trevino]’s grasp of the symphony’s structure is firm and he...
New. Respighi: Sinfonia drammatica
Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Robert Trevino
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Record Review, 13th June 2026, Record of the Week
-
Presto Recording of the Week, 5th June 2026
The engineering captures plenty of detail... the brass make plenty of impact, thundering their oration in the Lento religioso... [Trevino]’s grasp of the symphony’s structure is firm and he...
About
Conductor Robert Treviño’s second album release of orchestral music by Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) together with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI features Respighi’s massive orchestral masterpiece, the Sinfonia Drammatica.
Respighi’s Sinfonia Drammatica is a large, Straussian symphony with a duration of more than 60 minutes. Various commentators have pointed out similarities with César Franck’s Symphony in D minor, especially in terms of its cyclic structure, while echoes of Richard Strauss and Rimsky-Korsakov can be heard off and on throughout the piece, not only in the handling of the orchestra but also in the contours of some of the melodic lines. And while Wagner is not generally considered one of Respighi’s main sources of inspiration, the German composer’s influence can be sensed.
Contents and tracklist
Spotlight on this release
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Robert Trevino on Respighi's Sinfonia drammatica
2nd Jul 2026
With the release of his recording of Respighi's rarely-performed Sinfonia drammatica, the conductor talks about his previous album of the composer's Roman Trilogy, his thoughts on the reasons behind the Sinfonia's relative lack of performances, and why he feels that it is one of the greatest pieces that Respighi ever wrote.
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Robert Trevino conducts Respighi's Sinfonia drammatica
5th Jun 2026
Robert Trevino and the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI make a thrilling, highly persuasive case for a work that has received relatively few recordings to date, with a performance full of rich strings, portentous brass, and beautiful woodwind solos.
Awards and reviews
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Record Review13th June 2026Record of the Week
-
Presto Recording of the Week5th June 2026
July 2026
The engineering captures plenty of detail... the brass make plenty of impact, thundering their oration in the Lento religioso... [Trevino]’s grasp of the symphony’s structure is firm and he clearly believes in the work.
June 2026
A splendid new recording of Respighi’s early Sinfonia... Robert Trevino declares that not a single member of his radio orchestra knew the work... clearly shows off his liking for large, sumptuous orchestration where he can display his talent for orchestral colour”
5th June 2026
This thrilling performance makes it appear as if the piece has been in their blood for years...The symphony ends with a funereal section which Respighi indicates should be like a sad march, and Trevino builds the intensity slowly but inexorably to ensure a powerful conclusion that more than lives up to the symphony’s name.
Record Review 13th June 2026
A beautifully sculpted and confidently balanced performance...the orchestra is passionately committed...Robert Trevino shows a sure instinct for guiding us to the final climax and troubled conclusion...definitely worth 63 minutes of your time.
