BACH/RESPIGHI: Prelude and Fugue in D, P 158, Passacaglia in CMinor, P 159, 3 Corali, P 167, RACHMANINOV/RESPIGHI: 5 Études-Tableaux, P 160.

Description: Respighi’s wide-ranging musical tastes included taking on the task of transcribing organ works by Bach – or creating ‘orchestral interpretations’, as he himself called the results. Among the Bach works are the celebrated Passacaglia in C minor – which Stokowski had orchestrated just a few years earlier – as well as the Prelude and Fugue in D major. Both are given the full treatment by Respighi, with orchestral forces including strings, triple woodwind, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and piano four hands for the Prelude and Fugue. Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège; John Neschling.