Customer Reviews

Respighi: Symphonic Poems

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Who says budget labels only hire (relatively) unknown orchestras? Here, Enrique Bátiz teams up with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to produce one of the most preferred recordings of Respighi's Roman Trilogy in the catalogue right now. These three symphonic poems have long been orchestral favorites; the music not only requires great orchestral finesse but also creative interpretations. Bátiz and the RPO are all that and more. In this recording, the RPO exudes raw power resembling that of the Chicago Symphony under Reiner and Solti. At the same time, the British orchestra also displays great virtuosity not unlike George Szell's Cleveland Orchestra. On top of all the orchestral prowess, Bátiz offers a fun and insightful view to the music. Finally, for you audiophiles out there, I should add that the sound engineering is first rate. This recording would be among the top recommendations at any price. At Naxos price, however, it IS the top recommendation.

I think, this is one of the best "Rome Trilogy" recordings...

Especially, The Festivals of Rome is excellent. This symphonic poem is the most joyful and most difficult link (for orchestras and conductors) of trilogy. But Enrique Batiz and His Royal PO are amazing, especially last movement of "Fetivals" (Epiphany)...

Pines of Rome is also very good. I was impressed especially 3rd movement. This movement tells about The Pines of Janiculum at night, and landscape is very impressive and a little scaring. And then music continues without a brake to 4th movement. This music tells about Pines of Appian Way. Julius Caesar and his Roman Army is passing on this way, because they were won a battle...

Highly recommended for all Respighi fans...

This is my second recording of The Roman Trilogy by my favourite composer Ottorino Respighi. It is even preferable to my last one with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The sound quality is superior with a slight reverberation to the acoustic, which goes well with such atmospheric music. The brass playing is also terrific on this recording. Every time I listen to these masterpieces of orchestral colour something new is revealed, so I never tire of them. Rightly so, Gramophone magazine gave this recording a top recommendation when it was first released.

These are very fine performances of these early 20th Century works. We highly recommend these performances for quality and price!

The Roman Trilogy (Fountains of Rome/Pines of Rome/Roman Festivals) remains as the most famous compositions created by Ottorino Respighi. Some might recognize them due to radio airplay, while others might have heard them when vacationing in Italy. These three pieces define Italian impressionism at its finest. The influence of both Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov is very clear throughout. They're some of the most beautiful (and most astounding) works in the early 20th Century.

This particular recording from Naxos leaves a little to be desired. Conductor Enrique Batiz, no doubt a good conductor, brings a lot of power and tension from the music. There a few downsides, however: there are a few occasions in which the tempo is unnecessarily slow. I wish the "Trevi" from Fountains was a bit faster. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is usually a great orchestra, but their playing of the Roman Trilogy is somewhat questionable. The brass isn't refined enough, the strings are a bit sloppy, and there are brief moments in which the entire orchestra is all over the place. The sound quality is actually very good: the acoustics are almost excellent for an impressionistic piece like Roman Festivals.

I'd say that these are good recordings, but not great. Batiz does have the right mind for the Roman Trilogy, but he should have had some more attentive rehearsals with the Royal Phiharmonic Orchestra before the actual recording began.

Grade: 7.3/10