Church Windows / Brazilian Impressions

Geoffrey Simon conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra through Respighi’s orchestral showpieces on this Chandos recording, capturing the Italian composer’s gift for shimmering instrumental color and architectural grandeur. Church Windows pairs the composer’s stained-glass suite with Brazilian Impressions, a triptych of Rio de Janeiro scenes rendered in lush late-romantic orchestration. Simon’s interpretations favor clarity and rhythmic precision over languorous rubato, letting Respighi’s intricate woodwind writing and harp glissandos breathe within tightly controlled ensemble balance.