Customer Reviews

Respighi: Feste romane, Pini di Roma / Maazel, Cleveland Orchestra

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I enjoyed reading some of the previous reviews. "Respighi was not a particularly nationalist composer" The Pines of ROME, The Fountains of ROME, ROMAN Festivals???! You really can't get very much more obvious.
Respighi is a very interesting composer. Largely shunned by the cultural establishment in Europe during the post WWII period as a fascist collaborator and militarist, his work has remained stubbornly popular. He was in a tough spot. The good bit about Mussolini was that he revived pride in Italy's noble past and it's really hard not to listen to the final piece of "Pines of Rome" with the ghosts of the Roman Legion marching over the horizon along the Appian Way, not to warm to that. The fact that the Imperial Period was also a period of extreme cruelty, gross social inequality and brutal militarism, well, let's leave that for a bit. For me the most interesting of the three pieces, and certainly the most musically experimental, is the Feste Romane (Roman Festivals). These are the pieces composed most expressly at the wishes of the then Italian government and the comparison with Shostakovich writing under Stalinism is very obvious. I think there's enough in them to suggest that, deeply patriotic as Respighi clearly was, he did not accept that nationalism meant a descent into barbarism and these, for me at any rate, contain starkly realistic musical depictions of some fairly barbaric "festivals". Also, perhaps more strangely, there is a strong Christian/ Medieval element, notably in the meditative and processional second movement, "Jubilee". Not a good title I feel. At the end of the day it's a close call. You will, however, enjoy both these pieces and the top-notch performances, superbly remastered, by Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra, who clearly have no ideological scruples.
My only really serious complaint is that the recording does not include the glistening "Fountains of Rome" instead of the rather underwhelming "Golden Cockerel" Suite by Rimsky-Korsakov. Ach weh das leben ist nie perfekt.

As others have noted, the standout portion of this CD is the "feste romaine," which Maazel delivers with (in my experience) unsurpassed nuance and power. This is the kind of playing Lenny Bernstein aspired to on his best days. Maazel's "Pines" is also quite good, although I have to say I still prefer Riccardo Muti's recording of Pines with Philadelphia. The sound quality of this recording is very good.

Wanting a great recording of Pines of Rome, I surveyed the offerings and many suggested this is the best.

Have not heard the rest, but this is superb! It offers four movements orchestrating Roman settings where pines flourish. One in the midday sun, the next in twilight, the third of a nocturne nature introduces a nightingale as a nice touch. The finale, a Roman army triumphantly marching with a ominous conclusion.

The conductor and orchestra exemplify the balances providing great texture and clarity. The recording as others have noted from Decca is outstanding.

Enjoy the Rimsky-Korsakov offering with its exotic Oriental coloring in The Golden Cockerel. It has some wonderful offerings.

For "Roman Festivals", Maazel with the Cleveland Orchestra is pretty energetic, but I don't think not as much as Bernstein's performance with the New York Phil. You should buy his CD instead if you only want "Roman Festivals".

For "Pines of Rome", on the other hand, TWO THUMBS UP! The climax is superb! (But I also love the performance by Karajan with the Berlin Phil, and the one by Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra.) If you never heard of "Pines of Rome" before, then you should buy this CD, and feel the orchestral triumpth! (It is my very favorite music so far. If you love dynamic classical music, you will definitely love this music.)