Customer Reviews

Respighi: Pini di Roma; Fontane de Roma; Feste Romane

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

To compare an orchestra with such caliber as Philadelphia (one of the "Mighty Five" of this country) with a lesser known orchestra (yet not any less talented I must say) is to compare apples to oranges. I personally don't see any sense in doing so and I strongly dispute comparing recordings based on the orchestra alone. I have heard sloppy records played by world famous orchestras. It happens. I have also heard phenomonal recordings done by orchestras previously unheard of. While Pittsburgh is most certainly not unheard of, they would still fall into the latter category.
The performance given here by Pittsburgh is top notch, no questions asked, hands down. A fabulous technical ability paired with the wise musical styling of Maazel make this record a steal. The sound quality is stunning, each episode of Respighi's triptych sparkles with its own light, not a cut and paste example. Another fine example of this is Danielle Gatti with the Orchestra of Saint Cecilia.
Maazel doesn't fail to delight with his great readings of the Respighi Roman triptych. And, at least in this recording, Pittsburgh is right up there with the heavy hitters in today's orchestral scene.

Ottorino Respighi is somewhat of an oddity; considered an Italian impressionist, his music is far off from the fuzzy haze of the French, and while he highly regarded Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, his music is not particularly nationalistic, save the ideas and programs of his works. Three very popular symphonic poems represent the pinnacle of his compositional style, all included on this disk: The Pines of Rome, The Fountains of Rome, and Roman Festivals.

Each of the poems have four movements which describe the musical portraits or scenes Respighi wants to convey, usually in a vivid manner. The Pines of Rome is centered around the ancient trees of his native land, the first, the pine trees of Villa Borghese, is a playful opener with tinkling bells and skipping rhythms imitating the playing children. Pine trees near a catacomb is very subdued, but a rhythmical chanting rises to a climax with blazing brass, combining ancient ritual with, then, modern classicism. The nearest Respighi approaches French Impressionism is in the pine trees of Janiculum, with its shimmering strings, arpeggiated piano, and use of harp and celeste. The nature-based clarinet solo cuts through any haze, however, and the use of recorded bird song is unique to Respighi in this case. The final, pine trees of the Appian Way, builds into a theme of fifths, horn and trumpet calls aided by the trombones and tuba, give a militaristic quality and a brash ending gives a glorious close. The orchestrations are very colorful, even including organ on top of a host of other unique instruments. The melodic material is tuneful and interesting, one of Respighi's most approachable poems for orchestra.

The poem which flows the best from start to finish is the Fountains of Rome (no pun intended). Respighi describes four specific fountains in an around Rome and musically depicts them. The opening fountain of Valle Giulia is the most bubbly (pun intended). The lines are long and florid with burbling scales in all parts, with calmly rising melodies. In contrast, the Triton Fountain is firmly announced by horns, screaming strings, and bells. What follows is a bouncy scherzo, often reminiscent of the French Romantic composer Paul Dukas; the movement is fun and bubbly. The Fountain at Trevi, however, seems to recall Richard Strauss, with heavy and powerful trombones in the spotlight. The forcefulness is fortified by the addition of organ, but subsides into the last fountain at Villa Medici. The most impressionistic sounding, the modal melody on English horn recalls Debussy, while the harp glissandi, celeste, string tremolos, and woodwind dottings only reinforce the idea. Again, colorful orchestrations, beautiful melodies, including the haunting modes of the last fountain.

Roman Festivals is by and far the most Italian sounding of the three poems, and chronicles life around a celebration. The very angry and agitated opening Cirenses, sounds nearly schizophrenic, with unrelated fanfares, and a menacing bass drum for the impending storm, as well as a fearful organ. A slow procession of religious folk outside of town changes the mood to the movement entitled Jubilee, but builds in intensity. The third movement, October Festival, has varied melodies and sections, including an Italian love song, and a serenade complete with solo mandolin. The blazing finale, Epiphany, is also schizophrenic in pacing, with constantly changing moods, scenes, and themes. The end result is exultancy as full orchestra resoundingly concludes.

Of digital recordings, this Sony recording is by and far the finest. The Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra under Lorin Maazel is captured in a sonically enriched atmosphere, very much like a concert hall setting. The large proportions are captured well and balanced properly, and the colorful orchestration dazzles the listener. The playing is great, the brass section is particularly exceptional; I have not heard such ensemble, precision, and high quality in a long time. Maazel is faithful to the score, but also makes each portrait diverse from the preceding one, relying on Respighi's imagination. He gets a full and dramatic reading from the score. Highly recommended modern account of three classics. Compare with Maazel's 70's recording with the Cleveland Orchestra on Decca; both great, I prefer this one.

This is an excellent work with incredible depth in sound -- from the solemn 'Pini presso una catacomba' to the jubilant 'L'Ottobrata' -- you are taken on a ride that captures the pageantry that reminds you of ancient Rome. It truly has that 'Ben-Hur'-esque feel. And, of course, Maazel and the Pittsburgh SO bring this to life as few others can.

Lorin Maazel brings an incredibly energetic approach to the music of Respighi. The previous reviewer, Mr. Kniess does a wonderful job telling you about the pieces of music on this disk, so I only intend to add to what he has said. (However, I would not regard Respighi as an 'impressionist'. That seems to put his music in the same category as Debussy and Ravel, which it is most certainly not.)

The performance of these works are impeccable. All sections of the orchestra are always pristine, both in terms of rhythm and pitch. So much power and energy comes from the orchestra, I continue to be amazed every time I listen to the recording. The brass soloists in the last movement of Roman Festival are incredible. They really go for the biggest tone, and sound great in the process.

This is a great CD to own. A must have for Respighi lovers and brass musicians.

It is worthwhile to compare Maazel's famous 1976 recording of the Festival and Pines (Fountain not recorded) for Decca with the Cleveland Orchestra. For the Festival in the Sony version, he played the outer movements slower and the middle movements faster than the Decca version. The feeling is less dramatic yet you may put as more "intellectual", though I doubt. All the parts are clearly presented with a higher emphasis on the Brass and woodwind. The strings are a bit masked. The new recording provides a better dynamic contrast as you can hear the orchestral bursts in the first movement of the Festival. However, the mid price Decca legend version still wins easily.

Lorin Maazel transports the listener along a musical soujourn that s/he'll not soon forget! The composer, the conductor and the orchestra nail this one in a perfect tenon. This is a rendition that one can listen to over and over. Don't wait to add it to your Classical Music library.

I must admit that I prefer Muti's reading of Resphigi's scores over Maazel's. Muti's excellent interpretation with the Philadelphia Orchestra is more introspective and lyrical. Furthermore the Philadelphia Orchestra's level of playing is better than the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's. Yet Sony's engineers have wrought one of their finest state-of-the-art classical recordings in recent memory. The sound quality is impeccable. Maazel's interpretations of Resphigi's are credible, even if they aren't as distinguished as Muti's. And the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's performances are almost first rate; these are replete with crisp, technically perfect playing mixed with some warmth. The most distinguished sections are the brass and woodwinds. If you are looking for an almost excellent version of Resphigi's most popular orchestral works recorded with finest sound quality, then you won't go wrong buying this CD.

A bit of a break from the traditional Respighi recordings that I've heard. This one features powerful brass and all around great playing for a unique take on Pines, Fountains and Roman Festival. Well balanced and a clear recording allowed me to hear instruments and parts usually buried in the wash of sound. This is right at the top of my favorites in my large classical library. And it's hard to beat the price! Highly recommend!

Lorin Maazel is known for his Respighi interpretations. This recording of Respighi's "Roman Trilogy" is a testament for his love of this music. I'm pretty lukewarm about Maazel's conducting, but he has turned in some good performances through the years and one of them is this one. I wish Maazel had recorded the whole trilogy earlier on Decca as those performances are much better than these readings. I often find Maazel's recordings incredibly lackluster. Maazel turns in a great "Pines of Rome" here. The reading of "Fountains of Rome" is also quite good. "Roman Festivals" doesn't capture the magic he did with the Cleveland Orchestra on Decca, so I subtracted a star for this very dry, mediocre reading.

The audio is also quite good, although it seems it could have been recorded at a lower volume than usual and will require you to turn up your amplifier a little more to hear the quieter passages. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra play well.

These readings never quite capture the fire that Reiner's readings on RCA got, but they're good enough and the price of this release is also something to consider. It's good, but not as good as it could have been, especially given Maazel's history with this music.

The four stars are mostly for the extraordinary sound quality the engineers are able to bring forth here, really revealing some of the inner layers in Respighi's structure. I was particularly struck by the brass lines I had never heard before in a recording. Having said this, I am still hesitant to give it an unreserved recommendation. On just a few occasions I found the characterization a bit lifeless and a bit too much like a rehearsal. Certainly the performance doesn't stand up to other classic recordings of these works, namely Toscanini's NBC recordings, Dutoit/Montreal on Decca, Rizzi/London Phil on Teldec, Muti/Philadelphia on EMI, or even Maazel's own recording with Cleveland on Decca. However, it is not a bad performance and coupled with the wonderful sound quality it is certainly worth hearing if you enjoy these works.