Respighi: Pini di Roma No1-4; Feste romane

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Eduardo Mata had a special flair for music of this period, and his Respighi record is one of the best. The coupling is interesting. Whereas most recordings would include The Fountains of Rome, Mata chooses instead the evocative and rarely heard Brazilian Impressions. This exotic piece contains a particularly creepy musical illustration of a snake pit, followed by a zippy Brazilian dance finale. The other two works are performed with sledgehammer impact and uninhibited brilliance. Dorian's recording is an audiophile's dream, offering both analytical detail and warmth within a huge dynamic range. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Pines Of Rome: The Pines Of The Villa Borghese
Pines Of Rome: Pines Near A Catacomb
Pines Near a Catacomb: The Pines Of The Janiculum
Pines Near a Catacomb: The Pines Of The Appian Way
Fountains Of Rome: The Fountain Of The Valle Giulia At Dawn
Fountains Of Rome: The Triton Fountain At Morning
Fountains Of Rome: The Fountain Of Trevi At Midday
Fountains Of Rome: The Villa Medici Fountain At Sunset
Roman Festivals: Circuses
Roman Festivals: The Jubilee
Roman Festivals: The October Festival
Roman Festivals: Epiphany

Amazon.com

These are the extraordinary tone poems for which Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) is known. Whatever else he has written, it all pales against these guys. Respighi's music embraced a kind of neo- romanticism that has hints of French Impressionism. He creates pictures as well as moods. Hard to do. This particular recording by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra is a rerelease of two practically ancient vinyl discs of the early sixties. No one beats the Philadelpia Orchestra for sound, especially in the Pines of Rome or the glittering cascades of the Roman Festivals. At mid-price, this disc is virtually a steal. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Good Quality, Good Performance, Not Quite Ormandy-ish Though.......2003-06-24

Eugene Ormandy has made two (or three or more if I got it wrong) recordings on Respighi's Roman trilogy with the famed Philadelphia Orchestra, each for the different company.

This recording was done for RCA Victor and the performance is overall OK. The sound quality is not bad, and the orchestra's sound is rich. The only problem is that the brass and percussion seems to overpower the strings and woodwinds slightly, especially in the 'Pines of the Appian Way.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of my favorite orchestra, but the performances on this CD seems not quite Ormandy-ish, because in most other recordings I've heard, including the Roman trilogy he did for Sony (which was one of the first Respighi CD's I got), the strings and the woodwinds seems to stick out more, while the brass stayes reserved (or even sadly weak and pale). The overall "boldness" and "balance" in this CD doesn't seems to show the usually colorful and fluttering Ormandy personality.

Generally I would recommend the one with Sony, especially on the "Pines" and "Festivas", to show what intrepreter Ormandy usually was during his long years with the Orchestra. "The Appian Way" especially may draw out his trait.

Other recordings I would recommend is Bernstein on "Festivals", Karajan on "Fountains", and Dutoit or Maazel (with the Cleveland Orchestra) on "Pines".

In my opinion, it's not the best recording in any of the pieces, but it's still a nice CD to stock up to the shelf. It is still one of my favorite RCA discs (I usually avoid RCA discs since some music are arranged completely far from the original performance). Basically, four stars, still good, not bad at all...

excellent.......2002-06-11

this is my favorite recording of Respighi's Pines of Rome. it is very clean and crisp, and the last part is great to listen to as you take off on an airplane. try it sometime!

Nice job, but not great.......2000-10-26

Well this recording provides a nice introduction to the Roman Trilogy of Respighi. However, the recording lacks in many areas. Though very well played techincally, the interpretation is not great, evn if it is Ormandy at the helm. Ormandy is well established, but he is a man who encourages conductors to add or modify parts such as in Mozart or Beethoven in order to take advantage of the modern Symphony's Capabilities. Anyone who rewrites or edits Beethoven is taking many liberties. As far as this CD is concernd however, it does not have the life or energy that the Philharmonia Orchestra has in its recording. This recording is bland and straight forward. Also, I question the actual recording techniques as well in this CD. If you want a spectacular performnce AND recording to boot, do not buy this CD. Get the Philharmonia Orchesra recording.

Respighi.......2000-03-29

This is a stupendous CD. This composition reveals the true genius that Respighi was. The Philadelphia Orchestra is always good. The tone color is very fitting for the work. I would recommend this CD to anyone who is looking for an adventure. While listening to it, I feel as if I were at the movies.....it's actually better than going to the movies. Way to go Respighi!!!

Respighi: Pini di Roma No1-4; Fontane di Roma No1-4

Average customer rating:

THE BEST RECORDING
The Best

Respighi: Pini di Roma No1-4; Fontane di Roma No1-4

Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Trittico botticelliano: La Primavera
Trittico botticelliano: L'Adorazione dei Magi
Trittico botticelliano: La nascita di Venere
Gli Uccelli: Bernardo Pasquini: Preludio
Gli Uccelli: Jacques de Gallot: La Colomba
Gli Uccelli: Jean Philippe Rameau: La Gallina
Gli Uccelli: Anonymus: L'Usignuolo
Gli Uccelli: Bernardo Pasquini: Il Cucu
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 1 (16th Century): Simone Molinaro: Balletto detto 'Il Conte Orlando' (1599)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 1 (16th Century): Vicenzo Galilei: Gagliarda (c 1550)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 1 (16th Century): Anonymus: Villanella (c 1600)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 1 (16th Century): Anonymus: Passo mezzo e Mascherada (c 1600)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 3 (16th, 17th Century): Anonymus: Italiana (c 1600)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 3 (16th, 17th Century): Giovanni Battista Besardo: Arie di Corte (16th Century)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 3 (16th, 17th Century): Anonymus: Siciliana (c 1700)
Antiche danze ed arie per liuto - Suite No. 3 (16th, 17th Century): Lodovico Roncalli: Passacaglia (1692), Maestoso

Tracks:

Pini di Roma: I pini di Villa Borghese
Pini di Roma: Pini presso una catacomba
Pini di Roma: I pini del Gianicolo
Pini di Roma: I pini della Via Appia
Fontane di Roma: La fontana di Valle Giulia all'alba
Fontane di Roma: La fontana del Tritone al mattino
Fontane di Roma: La fontana di Trevi al meriggio
Fontane di Roma: La fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto
Feste Romane: Circenses
Feste Romane: Il Giubileo
Feste Romane: L'Ottobrata
Feste Romane: La Befana

Customer Reviews:

THE BEST RECORDING.......2005-08-30

You won't go wrong in purchasing this recording performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Carlo Rizzi. This is a must buy for any Respighi aficionados.

The Best.......2003-04-05

In my opinion, this is the best recording of either The Birds or the Ancient Airs and Dances available. If you're looking to find a good recording of the Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome, I guess it's hard to go wrong with the LSO, but personally I own two other copies by Atlanta and Chicago that I like better.