Respighi’s interest in the ancient repertoire emerged as early as 1906 with transcriptions for viola d’amore and harpsichord of two Sonatas by the Bolognese Father Attilio Ariosti. These were followed by nine transcriptions for violin and piano of Sonate per violino e basso by Pietro Antonio Locatelli, Niccolò Porpora, Giuseppe Tartini, Giuseppe Valentini, and Francesco Maria Veracini (P077-084 in the Respighian catalog by Potito Pedarra) created in the winter of 1907-1908 and subsequently published by Ricordi in 1921; this group includes all the Sonatas contained in the present recording.

Respighi’s interventions on the original Sonatas were quite significant, reflecting the belief that the reproduction of ancient music required a restoration that integrated what were perceived as its limitations and made it more consistent with the tastes and customs of the time. Alongside this was the idea of transcription–widely spread at the time–as a recreative act in which the transcriber could nonetheless manifest their own artistic personality.

Alessandro Perpich – violin
Gabriella Orlando – piano