(Photo: S Ghini.)

Naxos released a CD entitled “Tre Liriche,” featuring songs by Ottorino Respighi performed by the Italian contralto Alessandra Visentin with the New York Chamber Orchestra under the direction of maestro Salvatore Di Vittorio. The title of the CD refers to three songs, “Notte,” “Nebbia” and “Pioggia,” which have never been performed or recorded with a large orchestra, until now. Most of the performances have been restricted to a chamber ensemble or piano and the other tracks on the disc have also not received many recordings, however “Tre Liriche” gives listeners a new opportunity to experience these rare masterpieces.

It is a fine disc and makes a good case for all the pieces included, in which the lyricism that Respighi is able to infuse into the vocal line is both emotionally moving and at times extraordinarily beautiful.

By sheer chance, I happened to attend a concert of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony in Padua, in which the contralto performing was Alessandra Visentin. Although the overall performance of the symphony was fairly routine, the beautiful coloring and sensitive phrasing of Visentin’s voice added some much-needed quality and excitement to the presentation.

This chance discovery was an ideal opportunity for OperaWire to interview the singer and find out more about the recording of “Tre Liriche.”

OperaWire: Does it frustrate you that so few major roles are written for contraltos?

Alessandra Visentin: No. I’m used to it. I think of my repertoire in a different kind of way. I balance my repertoire with baroque, in works by Händel, Bach and Vivaldi, and melodrama, in which you know from the start that you will be singing a secondary role. There are also other parts to my repertoire in symphonic and chamber music. I think being a contralto encourages you to explore and perform a wide repertoire.

OW: Before you embarked on this recording project of Respighi, how familiar were you with his music?

AV: His presence has woven itself through my career. His music always appears at significant points, such as my final exams at music school, competitions and now with this recording. As a contralto, I have sung a lot of chamber music by composers from many countries, including, obviously, Italians, and if you sing Italian chamber music, it is impossible to ignore Respighi. So yes, I am very familiar with his work.

OW: How did the idea for this recording come about?

AV: The Respighi family decided to give Di Vittorio the opportunity to restore some of the composer’s works, including “Tre Liriche” and “Lamento di Arianna,” and others such as the last movement of his violin concerto. I think that he was chosen because when he was younger, critics used to say that he had the same composition style as Respighi. Naturally, such a project captured the attention of the recording companies, including Naxos, which wanted to record some of the pieces.

OW: How did you become involved?

AV: I met Maestro Di Vittorio in New York in 2017 and sang some pieces for him. A week later, he called me and told me that he thought I had the right voice for the project. At the very beginning, the idea was for me to just sing “Tre Liriche” and ‘Lamento di Arianna.”

We were supposed to record it in 2020, but the lockdowns put a stop to that.

By 2022, when we recorded them, we had decided to add some other pieces, rather than filling the CD with orchestral works. We included “Il Tramonto,” as there are not many recordings of it with a big orchestra, and “Aretusa,” of which only one recording exists with Dame Janet Baker. I think this is because it is such a difficult piece.

OW: This is the first time that “Tre Liriche” has been performed and recorded with a big orchestra. Could you describe the pieces?

AV: The first piece, “Notte,” is a lullaby, but it also has a metaphysical quality, and this is what I have brought to it with my voice. The second and third pieces, “Nebbia” and “Pioggia,” are both about the weather and are more well known, as Pavarotti used to include them in his concerts.

The main challenge for me was to achieve the right balance with what is a big orchestra, especially when I have to incorporate subtle effects like filato and pianissimo. “Nebbia” and “Pioggia” have a different character from “Notte.” “Nebbia” is fairly sad, and you have to find this quality in the voice, while “Pioggia” requires a more brilliant sound. It is, therefore, three songs with three different characters. It is also completely different from when I have sung them with the piano.

Overall, I was very happy with my performance. I had a very good working relationship with the orchestra; they were interested in my interpretation and happy to accommodate my suggestions.

Of the three, I think “Notte” is my favorite.

OW: Where does “Tre Liriche” fit into Respighi’s body of work?

AV: For me, this is the best of Respighi’s vocal works. The other pieces on the disc display a different kind of writing. “Aretusa,” for example, is more complex and does not connect so immediately with the audience, not like “Tre Liriche,” which are far more direct and easily accessible pieces.

OW: How did you feel about being asked to make a world premiere recording?

AV: Obviously, I was very excited at the beginning. I was very proud about being chosen to sing what was a world premiere recording, but I also felt the responsibility of the task. Then I started to think about it and the approach I would take. I was not simply thinking about technique, for I was aware that I was going to be singing something that people had not heard before. This was when the reality of the task started to dawn on me. There was so much to consider; I had to think about achieving the right balance with the orchestra so that the pianissimo and the filato could be fully appreciated. This had to be right; otherwise, the listeners might become bored. Small differences can change the whole impression with an audience, so I thought and worked a lot on the small details. It is very important to find the right way to approach any piece.

OW: How were the other pieces on the CD selected?

AV: At the beginning, the plan was just to record “Tre Liriche” and “Lamento di Arianna.” This was supposed to be half of the CD, with the other half devoted to orchestral music. After the pandemic this was changed, and we decided to make a CD of vocal music. Two more tracks were added, “Il Tramonto” and “Aretusa.”

“Il Tramonto” is not often recorded with a big orchestra. “Aretusa,” has been recorded only once and it is a very difficult piece for both me, as a singer, and the orchestra. It was written for a mezzo-soprano, so a soprano singing it needs to control and balance the low notes, while for me, a contralto, it’s the opposite. It was very difficult, and I had to work hard on it. Actually, the high notes are not particularly difficult for me, it is achieving the balance in the voice that is difficult. If you get it wrong, it sounds like you are using three different voices. Respighi also included some difficult dynamics, which makes the piece even more complicated. I am very happy with the result, but it took a lot of work

OW: Which piece gave you the most satisfaction?

AV: I was very happy with “Aretusa.” Many critics commented that it sounded so natural even though it’s very difficult for my vocal range, which gave me great pleasure.

However, the piece that gave me the most satisfaction was “Lamento di Arianna.” I gave a lot of time to thinking about my interpretation. It is a piece in which two worlds meet. You have the Baroque or ancient world represented by the text and then the 20th century represented by the modern orchestra. Normally, when you sing the work, it is with a small ensemble, and so the voice is very different from that which you must use for a big orchestra. However, it’s very important that the public can hear the words; the pronunciation is very important! It is also important that the public can relate to the words, and this is my responsibility. As I come from a baroque background, I believe that I understand what Respighi was trying to achieve with this piece: he was attempting to create a bridge between the baroque and the modern worlds. Therefore, I wanted to sing exactly the same line as I would with a small ensemble. I asked Maestro Di Vittorio for his collaboration in working closely on finding the right balance so that the text can be heard clearly by the audience. The result was excellent, and I am very pleased with it. It is exactly what I believe Respighi was looking for!

OW: What sort of reception did you receive from the audience when you performed the pieces in New York’s Carnegie Hall?

AV: It was fantastic. It was a sell-out, and we received a standing ovation from the audience of 1,600. It was fabulous.

OW: You have just sung in Mahler’s 2nd symphony in Padua. Is this a role you have sung before, and what were its main challenges?

AV: It is the first time I have sung this piece, but it’s not the first time I’ve sung Mahler. For me it was not a difficult piece to sing because it suits my voice almost perfectly. It is a real gift. I like the vocal lines, and my duet with the soprano is marvelous. There is something magical about this symphony; there is a freshness that you do not find as much in Mahler’s later symphonies. It feels a very complete work; there is a perfect balance between the choir and the soloists and the orchestra. It is my favorite Mahler symphony, maybe along with his 3rd symphony.