“This extraordinary and dramatic song, set to words by Ada Negri, was composed for mezzo-soprano but many tenors have taken it up as well. Originally written for voice and piano, it was later orchestrated by Respighi himself and it is that version heard here, along with an English translation. The accompaniment consists of a series of grim chords moving slowly up and down the scale, while the singer has to cover a vocal range of an octave and a half. The superb Luciano Pavarotti is accompanied by the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conductor Richard Bonynge, and the song comes from a Decca / London LP dated 1974.” adam28xx