This release presents a fascinating survey of the early orchestral works of Respighi written before 1916, the year of the first of his vivid symphonic poems, Fontane di Roma, for which he is today best remembered. Although the influence of Rimsky-Korsakov, Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, and others is readily discernible, these works also demonstrate Respighi’s growing mastery of a form of music – the symphonic – that was largely neglected at that time in Italy. The large-scale Suite in E, which initially bore the title Sinfonia, is a work of considerable musical interest and an elaborate example of the symphony. The Burlesca, with its suggestions of the sounds of water to be heard in Fontane di Roma, may be seen as an early impressionistic symphonic poem.