Respighi: Feste romane, Pini di Roma / Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra [Original recording remastered]

Ottorino Respighi (Composer), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Composer), Lorin Maazel (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: Lorin Maazel
• Composer: Ottorino Respighi, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
• Audio CD (July 18, 2000)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00004TEV0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fasten your seatbelt, January 22, 2001

By 

John Grabowski (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Respighi: Feste romane, Pini di Roma / Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra (Audio CD)

Why can't Lorin Maazel always perform like this? These are showpieces that will knock your socks off. They're also sonically amazing. The reviewer below who says Bernstein is better has missed the point, I think: Yeah Lennie is more intense (though not really...he's just shriller and faster) in the outer sections of Festivals, but the inner sections, which are more contemplative and lyrical, are brittle and unfelt with Lenny, gorgeous with Maazel. (Hear the sumptuous Cleveland strings in the that close out part two, just before the mandolin movement enters!) If you want just loud thrills, the classical equivalnet of a hard rock band banging while you crank up the amplifier, go with Lenny. If you want shades and colors *and* a finale that will threaten your plaster, this is the one. (Maazel also uses a real glockenspiel for the churchbell, whereas Lenny flubs by with a combination triangle and piano note struck in unison.)

The Pines recording is also dazzling, with a very rich, almost spiritual middle two sections. The last movement here is a little trite maybe, but few conductors pull this off really well to my ears. (It actually works better *slower,* which gives it a greater majesty and a "finale" quality, but most conductors try to up the temperature by going in fast, and Maazel is no exception. Neither is Lenny, by the way.) This is a superb disc, and I'm thrilled Decca had the good sense to bring it to life on CD.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why people rave about the Cleveland Orchestra, September 12, 2003

By 

Bruce Hodges (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Respighi: Feste romane, Pini di Roma / Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra (Audio CD)

Heavens, what a sonic spectacular this is -- arguably the finest version of the gaudy "Feste Romane" ever recorded, and the mid-1970's sound needs no defense. Maazel just whips up a huge explosion of color, energy and detail, and the great Cleveland Orchestra shows why many discriminating listeners think this is one of the best ensembles in the world.

The "Pines" is also superb, even if it perhaps faces stiffer competition with so many other excellent versions available. But Maazel's pacing, coupled with the Cleveland musicians out in full force, makes this a contender for many "top" lists. I confess that the Rimsky-Korsakov suite, imaginative as it is, somehow hasn't hooked me as immediately as the Respighi works. But in any case, it is delivered with the same high-level playing, and Maazel deserves credit for reproducing the score's full spectrum.

While I like versions of "Pines" and "Feste" by Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra (EMI) and a budget version on Naxos with Batiz and the Royal Philharmonic, the overwhelming impact of this recording is hard to resist.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Sonics and Inspired Performance, February 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Respighi: Feste romane, Pini di Roma / Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra (Audio CD)

Looking for an outstanding performance of the The Pines of Rome, look no further. The Cleveland Orchestra and its outstanding brass section breathe life into this Orchestral showpiece. In addition, the transfer to CD preserves the incredible sonics of the original Decca analog recording.