Respighi: Pines of Rome, etc

Whichever other Respighi tone poem recordings you ultimately purchase, you MUST own this one. Since the early ‘60s it has been the standard by which all others have been judged, and in terms of both sound and performance, it has never really been surpassed. The final march of Pines is simply incredible: thundering bass drum, crashing cymbals and gongs, bellowing brass--nobody since has brought the whole thing off with the same combination of excitement and discipline. The performance of La Mer has similar virtues. Fritz Reiner was a podium tyrant, but a tremendous musician all the same. This may be his finest recording. --David Hurwitz Amazon.com

INCREDIBLE

BRASS MUSICIANS TAKE NOTE: This is THE recording of Pines of Rome to own. No one does it better. Even Karajan's interpretation while excellent (2nd best in my book) cannot reach the level of intensity Reiner conjures from his very distinguished group of brass players (if you haven't heard of Adolph Herseth or Arnold Jacobs consider this part of your education). Read the reviews below, this is the CD to have of this piece. September 14, 2007

A classic

This is the only recording of the Pines I've heard where the trumpets play the fanfare in the first section open instead of muted as written. It never sounds right to me when played muted and makes every other recording disappointing. This is again the case in the trumpet solo in the beginning of the 3rd movement of La Mer in which Adolph Herseth plays the first line muted and the repeated line open. I've owned about five versions of this recording going back to records that I wore out playing. I have yet to hear a better version, although there are those with more modern sound quality. Still, the three-channel SACD is an improvement over any previous mix. June 18, 2007

The Triumph of Chicago

Yes, I too despise recordings earlier than about 1970. The recording quality tends to be annoyingly muddy. I did hear remakable things about this recording, however, some of them I even read here at Amazon. And since I revere the CSO anyway( they are my favorite) I decided I would take a chance. When I listened to Pines, it gave me goosebumps. Sure, more contemporary recordings of the CSO have more in-your-face brass but for the year this was recorded in, it is astounding. The more and more I listened to Pines of the Appian Way, the more thunderstruck I was. The brass blaze a trail that the rest of the orchestra follows. It is an awesome testimony to power of music and the fiery passions it can stir up.

Honestly, however, when I first listened to Fountains, I was not impressed. The orchestral playing was of course first-rate but I thought the music was boring and restless with no clear direction. After a day or so, I decided to listen to it again, reasoning that it was I who was wrong. I did and I liked it. Not as exciting as Pines(the whole work) and Pines of the Appian Way, but it is still a good piece wonderfully performed, just sit and listen to everything.

July 20, 2005

Only this Respighi and nothing else.

Fritz Reiner surprises me here, despite his infamous reputation of being a tyranical, manipulative conductor whom his Chicago musicians had a hard time working with. That is because his handling of Respighi's Pines and Fountains of Rome are one of the finest recordings I've ever heard. There are the usual trademarks of precise and exciting playing, as demonstrated by the piece, pines by Villa Borghese. An average listener might felt ambushed by another typical Disney soundtract, except this sounds most exciting. The Pines at Janiculum and the Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset is Fritz Reiner at his most delicate and finest moment. Surprising, again since such warmth is unheard of a conductor of Reiner's reputation. I don't think I would want to own any other recordings of these magnificent works. April 5, 2004

Very Justified Label of "Benchmark"

Well, to begin, I'll say that I find the three musical compositions featured here to be splendid works. Respighi's journal of the sights of Rome as well as Debussy's accounts of his trips on the Mediterranean are irresistable tone poems that all classical music fans appreciate

And of course, the Chicago Symphony, whom you can just argue is the greatest American orchestra ever, puts in another terrific performance, as you would definately expect them to. The legendary Fritz Reiner was conductor of the CSO from 1951 to 1962, a golden period in the orchestra's history. Heiner was certainly a demanding leader, and it showed whenever recording sessions took place. A perfectionalist, he wanted control over all aspects and made sure himself that he received satisfactory results.

In the program booklet that comes with this CD, an excellent account is included of downtown Chicago's Orchestra Hall on October 24, 1959, when Reiner led his ensemble to a tremendous performance of Respighi's Pines and Fountains of Rome. The article is a very interesting read on the details of the recording session.

Now, as for the CD itself, the aged recording would of course raise the attention of the listening. While technology has definately surpassed what had been available back then, the sound is however very acceptable. This album indeed still remains one for the ages. February 22, 2004

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