Gli uccelli

In Gli uccelli (The Birds), Respighi combines his passion for birdsong with his interest in early music. The 1928 work is structured as a five-movement Baroque suite for small orchestra. The movements are based on harpsichord and lute works of the 17th and 18th centuries. Several of the sources quote birdsong, which Respighi acknowledges by giving equal credit to the composer and his avian muse. The “Prelude”, based on a harpsichord piece by Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710), is a stately procession interrupted by a section that anticipates the birdcalls of the following movements. The second movement, “La Colomba” (“The Dove”), is based on a lute piece by Jacques de Gallot (1625-95). The dove’s tender song is introduced by solo oboe, with Gallot’s lute textures heard in the harp beneath. “La Gallina” (“The Hen”) opens with clucking sounds from the strings. We also hear scratching and pecking, as well as a rooster call in the trumpet. The original harpsichord work, by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), is already a vivid depiction, now enhanced by Respighi’s instrumental colours. “L'Usignuolo” (“The Nightingale”) draws on an English folk song transcribed by Jacob van Eyck (c. 1590-1657). Flute and bassoon are entrusted with the nightingale’s playful song. The suite ends with “Il Cucù” (“The Cuckoo”), again based on a harpsichord work by Pasquini. The distinctive cuckoo call appears in different voices around the orchestra and is joined by several birds from previous movements. The work ends with a stately reprise of the Pasquini theme from the opening “Prelude”.