Ottorino Respighi - Complete Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 3 (Ilona Then-Bergh; Michael Schäfer)

Information

Composer: Ottorino Respighi

• Violin Sonata in D Minor, P. 15
• 3 Early Pieces
• Giuseppe Tartini - Violin Sonata in E Minor, P. 79 (arr. Respighi)
• Giuseppe Tartini - Pastorale in A Major, P. 86 (arr. Respighi)
• Pietro Locatelli - Violin Sonata in D Major, P. 77 (arr. Respighi)

Ilona Then-Bergh, violin

Michael Schäfer, piano

Date: 2009

Label: Genuin

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Ottorino Respighi (9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. He studied at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, and also studied briefly with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suites, choral songs, chamber music, and transcriptions of Italian compositions of the 16th–18th centuries, but his best known and most performed works are his three orchestral tone poems which brought him international fame: Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928).

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Ilona Then-Bergh became the first concertmistress of the Bavarian State Orchestra at just 19, later holding the same role with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. She eventually left orchestral performance to focus fully on chamber music and teaching at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. Her dedication to chamber music is reflected in her acclaimed CD recordings, earning her multiple German Record Critics' Awards for performances of piano trios by composers such as Saint-Saëns, Schubert, Turina and Shostakovich. She is a member of the piano trio ensemble Then-Bergh – Yang – Schäfer.

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Michael Schäfer, known for his versatility as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist, performs widely across Europe, Asia and Africa. A professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München since age 31, he has mentored many prize-winning students and serves as a juror at international competitions. Schäfer is especially dedicated to reviving neglected composers, with acclaimed CD recordings that have earned honors such as the Diapason d'Or. His discography includes works by d'Indy, Friedman, Charpentier and others. He also performs in the piano trio Then-Bergh – Yang – Schäfer.

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