Valse Caressante
(From Respighiis iSix Pieces
for Pianoi)
Ottorino Respighi /arr. Taylor Whatley - Taylor Whatley
Valse Caressante
Publisher Desc.
Ottorino Respighiis (1879-1936) iSix Pieces for Pianoi was first
published in 1903, while Respighi was twenty-four years old, and still very
early in his career. These six pieces demonstrate a great variety of styles
from the young composer; a salon style valse, a canon, an impressionist
nocturne, a neoclassical minuet, a flashy simmering studio, and a lyrical
adaptation of an aria from Respighiis first opera. While Respighi is most
known for his masterful orchestration with his Roman tone poems; Fountains of
Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928) his work here
with the iSix Pieces for Pianoi demonstrates a young composer in command
of harmony and form.
Valse Caressante is a classically traditional five-part rondo (ABACA) (Mm.
5-36, 37-68, 69-100, 101-134, and 135-180). The valse begins with a lovely
four-measure florid introduction by the violins before the first A theme. The
A theme itself is a playful tradeoff between the first and second violins
culminating in a long descending eighth-note melody. The B section in the key
of the sub-dominant G Major features a cantabile solo from the first cello
chased by a solo from the first violin. After the second A theme Respighi
arrives at the C theme in the dominant key of A Major; this section features
a long dizzying line of melodic turns from the first violins with a simple
pizzicato accompaniment from the rest of the ensemble. After the final return
of the A section, the piece ends on a brief shimmering codetta.
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