I expect everyone (except me, of course!) will know Respighi's 4-movement Church Windows. Well, I didn't - until I bought the new BIS release from John Neschling and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège. So, the question is: why isn't this blockbuster of a piece as well known as Respighi's Roman trilogy?
I think the Roman 'theme' kinda helped popularize the trilogy on an extra-musical level. Hardly the only time that sort of thing happened.
All five issues of Neschling's Respighi cycle (on BIS SACDs) are excellent. I'm just hoping the next installment will include his Concerto in Modo Misolidio.
Well, I do think Church Windows has just been unjustly overshadowed by the Roman trilogy.
.... Romans 3 - Christians 1. ::)
I see that notes for a performance by the NYPhil., dated 2016, say that the last previous performance by them was under Bruno Walter back in 1933!
https://nyphil.org/~/media/pdfs/program-notes/1516/Respighi-Church-Windows.pdf (https://nyphil.org/~/media/pdfs/program-notes/1516/Respighi-Church-Windows.pdf)
It deserved better, and has always been one of my favourites, courtesy of the famous Ormandy/Philadelphia LP that appeared in the UK shops around 1970, and later the Geoffrey Simon CD. Seems to be fairly well represented on CD now.
Sadly I think the somewhat neglect of Church Windows (it is far from unknown) is due to its title. People are like that. Composers take heed!