Fez — Casablanca’s Mohammed VI Theater hosted a symphonic evening on Thursday dedicated to the vibrant orchestral world of Ottorino Respighi, as part of the 16th artistic season of the Royal Symphony Orchestra.
Led by conductor Oleg Reshetkin, the orchestra offered Casablanca audiences a deep immersion into Respighi’s musical language, known for its refined orchestration, luminous colors, and expressive intensity. Pianist Evgeny Mikhaylov joined the ensemble for a program that combined virtuosity, lyricism, and historical depth.
A youthful concerto rich in promise
The evening opened with the “Concerto per Pianoforte in la minore,” composed in 1902 when Respighi was just 22 years old. Structured in three movements, the work already reveals the composer’s mastery of symphonic form and orchestral imagination. Romantic in spirit and demanding in execution, the concerto reflects influences drawn from Respighi’s early experiences with the Imperial Russian Orchestra and his studies with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Mikhaylov’s interpretation balanced power and introspection, moving confidently between dramatic intensity and lyrical restraint. His performance was closely supported by an orchestra that highlighted the concerto’s shifting textures and contrasts, allowing the work’s youthful ambition to fully emerge.
Rossini revisited through a modern lens
The program continued with “Rossiniana,” a 1925 orchestral suite in which Respighi pays tribute to Gioachino Rossini. Drawing inspiration from selections in Rossini’s “Péchés de vieillesse,” the four movements — “Capriccio,” “Lamento,” “Intermezzo,” and “Tarantella” — revisit the Italian master’s wit and elegance while filtering it through Respighi’s own neoclassical and richly colored orchestration.
Light, ironic passages alternated with moments of reflection, offering the audience a playful yet sophisticated dialogue between two eras of Italian music.
Fantasy and tension in sound
The concert concluded with “La Balade des Gnomes,” a fantastical work inspired by a poem by Claudio Clausetti. Through highly evocative writing, Respighi constructs a dark and unsettling musical narrative marked by nervous agitation, irony, and underlying menace. The orchestra brought this sonic fresco to life with precision and dramatic focus, drawing listeners into an atmosphere of mystery and tension.
A central figure of 20th-century Italian music, Respighi is remembered for his commitment to a human, emotionally grounded musical language, favoring neoclassical clarity over avant-garde experimentation. His role in revitalizing Italian symphonic music continues to resonate far beyond Italy’s borders.
In Casablanca, this carefully curated program reaffirmed the city’s place as a stage for ambitious classical programming, offering audiences the rare opportunity to encounter Respighi’s orchestral palette in all its color, depth, and expressive power.
