Respighi 'Orgiastic Dance' ('Belkis, Queen of Sheba') - Gabriel Feltz / Stuttgarter Philharmoniker

Respighi's mammoth ballet 'Belkis, Queen of Sheba' had its only stage performances (so far) at La Scala, Milan, in 1932, and in Brno, Czechoslovakia that same year. Its requirement for enormous forces (600 dancers, a huge orchestra and chorus, off-stage brass, vocal soloists and a narrator) has kept it out of the ballet repertoire ever since. However, after Respighi's death, at the request of his publisher Ricordi, his widow Elsa Respighi prepared a considerably reduced version which omitted the chorus and narrator. The La Scala performances lasted 80 minutes but the revised edition was intended to last about half that length and thus become far more acceptable to ballet companies generally.

A 25-minute 4-movement Orchestral Suite from the score was first recorded by Geoffrey Simon and the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1985. However, in 2012 the Stuttgart Philharmonic, under conductor Gabriel Feltz, gave the complete work its concert premiere. In the final scene, the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba of ancient legend is celebrated with the spectacular 'Orgiastic Dance' played here. It is taken from a 'Dreyer Gaido' DVD of the Stuttgart concert with all due acknowledgments.

Видео Respighi 'Orgiastic Dance' ('Belkis, Queen of Sheba') - Gabriel Feltz / Stuttgarter Philharmoniker канала adam28xx