Given Ottorino Respighi’s outstanding mastery in handling the modern orchestra and his superb gifts for impressionist tone-painting (the very qualities cited by the many detractors and adversaries of this great composer), it is astonishing how little he composed for the ballet. The ever-popular La Boutique fantasque on music by Gioacchino Rossini (1918), Sévres de la vieille France (“Old French Porcelain”) on French folk tunes (1920), La pentola magica (“The Magic Kettle”) on Russian themes (1924), and Gli uccelli (1928): these were all he had to show by the year 1931, when La Scala in Milan commissioned him to compose what would become his only full-length ballet, Belkis, Regina di Saba (the Ricordi catalogue gives its duration as 80 minutes). The scenario, depicting the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon, was supplied by Respighi’s poet-friend Claudio Guastalla (1880-1948), a professor of literature who also wrote the libretto to Respighi’s opera Belfagor. In fact, Guastalla had written an opera libretto on the same biblical subject but could not find a composer willing to set it to music.

Elsa Respighi, in her biography of her husband (1931), has precious little to say about Belkis. It reads as follows: “During the spring and summer, Respighi worked on undisturbed at ‘The Pines.’ The two operas Maria Egiziaca and Fiamma were under way and there was also the ballet Belkis, Regina di Saba, which had to be ready for performance at La Scala early in the following year. Respighi had given this subject much thought for many years before he decided on a ballet and was now in possession of a great deal of thematic material (Hebrew melodies, oriental song-accompaniments, etc.).”
Respighi made ample use of the opportunity to revive his ties to ancient Arabic and Hebrew music. Among other things this left a mark on the gigantic size of the orchestra, which calls for exotic instruments, a backstage band, a chorus, and a narrator. The première in Milan thus became a major event, with Leonide Massine responsible for the choreography and Nicola Benois for the sets and costumes. An estimated one-thousand performers were involved in the première, which took place at La Scala on 23 January 1932 under the baton of Franco Ghione. The public and critics responded enthusiastically, but after eleven performances the expensive production had had its day. Nicolas Slominsky, in his inimitable way, recorded the event in Music Since 1900: “23 January 1932: Belkis, regina di Saba, ‘choreographic spectacle with musical illustrations’ by Ottorino Respighi, written in a resplendently eclectic style, with orientalistically undulant arabesques characterizing the Queen of Sheba and pentatonic scales depicting the populace, is produced at La Scala, in Milan.”

Belkis, Regina di Saba
Coreografia in sette quadri di Claudio Guastalla (1931)

I. Quadro
Moderatamente lento (p. 1) – Moderato (p. 2) –

II. Quadro
Allegro moderato (p. 3) – Andante lento (p. 4) – Entrata di Salomone. Solenne (p. 9) –La danza degli uccelli. Allegro vivo (p. 15) – Più vivace (p. 20) – Moderato e Recitativo (p. 27) – Vivacissimo (p. 28) – Danza dell’offerta. Andante languido (p. 32) – Allegretto (p. 35) – Lento voluttuoso (p. 39) – Lento non troppo (p. 43) – Danza dei venti del sud. Allegro (p. 45) – Coro: ‚Le tue settanta spose’. Andante mosso (p. 46) – Allegro vivo (p. 60) – Sostenuto (p. 62) – Andante espressivo (p. 63) – Mimica e danza dell’Araba fenice. Vivace (p. 64) – Vivamente (p. 65) – Andante mosso (p. 71) – Più animato (p. 73) – Più largo (p. 75) – Allegro (p. 77) – Vivace (p. 79) – Più vivo (p. 83) – Moderato (p. 85) – Andante espressivo (p. 88) –

III. Quadro
Moderato (p. 90) – Vivamente (p. 92) – Meno vivo (p. 97) – La danza dell’aurora. Moderato (p. 99) – Largamente e Più mosso (p. 102) – Più mosso (p. 104) – Moderato, tempo I (p. 107) – Lento, pesante (p. 108) – Vivace (p. 109) – Più moderato (p. 110) – Tempo lento di Marcia (p. 112) – Lettura del messaggio di Salomone. Allegro vivo (p. 117) – Meno (p. 118) – Allegro impetuoso (p. 119) – Moderato (p. 120) – Il passo del gallo. Allegro sostenuto (p. 125) – La danza dei sette profumi. Allegro moderato (p. 129) – Vivacissimo (p. 132) – Più presto (p. 135) – Moderato e Le Lacrime. Andante doloroso(p. 137) – Andante moderato (p. 140) – Andantino (p. 141) –

IV. Quadro
Cadenza del viola e Andante (p. 144) – Allegretto (p. 145) – Il Simun (p. 146) – Allegretto moderato (p. 149) – Più mosso (p. 151) – Più largo (p. 154) –

V. Quadro
Tempo di marcia (p. 157) – Danza guerresca e selvaggia. Allegro impetuoso (p. 165) – Più allegro (p. 171) – Allegro impetuoso (p. 173) – L’arrivo di Belkis. Andantino (p. 179) – La danza sullo specchio d’aqua. Allegretto (p. 182) – Appassionato (p. 190) – Andantino (p. 192) –
VI. Quadro
Andante espressivo (p. 195) – M. Soprano solo: ‚Chiè costei che sale dal deserto’. Andante e Lento (p. 196) – Andante e Andantino (p. 197) – Coro: ‚Ecco il letto di Salomone’ (p. 198) – Danza delle vesti. Languido (p. 200) – Più mosso (p. 214) – Allegro moderato (p. 215) – La danza di Salomone. Lento (p. 217) – Il cerchio d’amore. Allegro appassionato (p. 224) – Con slancio (p. 227) –

VII. Quadro
Vivo (p. 230) – Allegro moderato (p. 231) – Più largo (p. 232) – La danza delle anfore. Vivace (p. 235) – Allegreto (p. 236) – Più vivace e animando (p. 240) – La danza sui tamburini. Pesante e Selvaggio (p. 242) – Allegro ritmato (p. 244) – Più mosso (p. 246 – e sempre stringendo al: – Presto (p. 251) – Danza orgiastica. Allegro vivo (p. 252) – Con impeto (p. 254) – Andante lento (p. 268) – Allegro vivo (p. 270) – Poco animando (p. 278) – Largo (p. 279) – Gioioso (p. 281)