Ottorino Respighi "Lauda per la Nativitá del Signore"
Patricia Rosario(soprano), Angel
Louise Winter(mezzo soprano), Mary
Lynton Atkinson(tenor), Shepherd
The Richard Hickox Singers
The City of London Sinfonia
Richard Hickox, conductor


The Lauda per la Natività del Signore (or Laud for the Nativity) is a beautiful pastoral work that depicts the nativity of Jesus as the shepherds might have seen it. Respighi employs several archaic forms and devices: madrigals ("Contenti ne andremo"), Monteverdi-like arioso ("Seignor tu sei descieso"), some plainchant, and even a touch of fugue in the "Gloria" section. In addition to chorus, a small wind orchestra and piano, the work features three soloists: soprano ("The Angel"), mezzo-soprano ("Mary"), and tenor ("The Shepherd").


Respighi dedicated his Lauda per la Natività del Signore to Count Guido Chigi Saracini, founder of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. The work received its premiere in the count's palace on St. Cecilia's Day, 1930, performed by the Piccolo Coro di Santa Cecilia under the direction of the composer; Elsa Respighi sang the role of Mary. A month later, on December 26, the work was first performed in Rome.

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