Conductor Robert Trevino ’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.

His last major work before the famous Roman Trilogy, conductor Robert Trevino considers this symphony as Respighi’s magnum opus. This impressive orchestral canvas already features many of the elements which later made Respighi one of the great voices in 20th century orchestral music: “I’ve recorded a fair amount with my dear partners at Ondine, and with my longtime collaborators, the musicians of the RAI, and to date, I’m most proud of this recording. It is my most sincere hope that it will inspire others to help bring this masterpiece into the recognised pantheon of the truly great works of art, and give Respighi the admiration he rightly deserves ,” Robert Trevino writes in the album’s booklet notes.