Search - Ottorino Respighi, Louis Lane, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra :: Respighi: Pines of Rome; The Birds; Fountains of Rome

Respighi: Pines of Rome; The Birds; Fountains of Rome
Ottorino Respighi, Louis Lane, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Respighi: Pines of Rome; The Birds; Fountains of Rome
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

No Description Available. Genre: Classical Music Media Format: Compact Disk Rating: Release Date: 23-JUL-2002

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: Ottorino Respighi, Louis Lane, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Title: Respighi: Pines of Rome; The Birds; Fountains of Rome
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 2
Label: Telarc
Release Date: 7/23/2002
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 089408008528

Synopsis

Product Description
No Description Available.
Genre: Classical Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 23-JUL-2002

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Member CD Reviews

Terry M. (tmulcahy) from ALBUQUERQUE, NM
Reviewed on 9/26/2023...
I really enjoyed this music, all the way through, every bit of it. I was able to compare it to the Royal Philharmonic version. I thought the comparison would yield a clear choice of the better performance, but I am unable to say one is better than the other. I enjoyed both. They were certainly not identical, but that doesn't matter when they are both so good. I think my appreciation of symphonic music has matured, based on this experiment.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

CD Reviews

Music, Not Noise .... Thank you, Louis Lane & Telarc!
T. Beers | Arlington, Virginia United States | 07/21/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since Toscanini's RCA recordings (early 1950s), these Respighi tone poems have been played as sonic block-busters, with engineering to match. It seems everybody's idea of this music is driven by the last section of "The Pines of Rome," which famously evokes a march of Roman legionnaries via a steady crescendo of orchestral volume that finally explodes in an orgy of brass playing. But there are subtler pleasures in these pieces, especially in "The Fountains of Rome," and in this recording I've finally found Respighi performances that sound like music, not noise. Not that conductor Louis Lane and the fine Atlanta orchestra underplay the parts that need it; there's plenty of drama here, trust me. But Lane was an assistant to legendary conductor George Szell in Cleveland for many years, and he clearly learned how to achieve proper orchestral balances, even when working with the massively large orchestra favored by late Romantic composers like Respighi. For once, Respighi's orchestral texures register with the necessary nuance and subtlety. And Telarc's sound complements Lane's approach with an appropriate acoustic: very "hi-fi," but not in your face. Instead of garishly spotlighting individual sections, Telarc works its magic to ensure that the entire orchestra registers with a marvelous warmth. Given the subtleties of Lane's approach, I think it's no accident that he chose to couple "Pines" and "Fountains" with Respighi's suite "The Birds" rather than with the more glitzy "Roman Festivals." "The Birds" ("Gli Uccelli") is a Renaissance/Baroque pastiche cut from the same cloth as Respighi's perennially popular "Ancient Airs and Dances." So if you love the Respighi of the "Ancient Airs" and abhor the composer of the flashier tone poems, buy this CD. It may just be the Respighi disc of your dreams! Final word: "Louis Lane and the Atlanta Symphony" might not have the cache of Toscanini/NBC, Bernstein/New York, Karajan/Berlin, and God-knows how many other high-powered teams that have recorded this music. But for my money, this very musical Telarc CD beats the competition hands down. (Also note that this is one of many earlier (late 1980s) Telarc digital CDs that the company has reissued in a new budget series. Same great Telarc sound and sophisticated packaging, but at a very nice price.)"
Sparkling, scintillating brilliance . . . chiaroscuro beauty
acominatus | Johnson City, TN United States | 02/08/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This review applies to the works -Pines of Rome-,
-The Birds-, and -Fountains of Rome- performed by
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and conducted by
Louis Lane on Telarc.
Listening and enjoyment and enthusiasm are all
subjective elements which can't be "quantified" for
everyone's satisfaction. I can only say that I
have "perfectionist" ears and eyes, so I have
real trouble finding personally satisfying sound
reproduction devices as well as particular versions
of classical works which I "get into." There
are some other versions of this work which I like
very much also, conductor Daniel Gatti's with the
Orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, conductor
Giuseppe Sinopoli's with the New York Philharmonic
on Deutsche Grammophon, and conductor Jesus Lopez-
Cobos with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on
Telarc.
What makes me decide to review Lane's recording is
his concern with tempo and dynamics...the transition
from the sunny brilliance of the Pines of the Villa
Borghese to the dark, quiet mystery and softness of
the Pines Near a Catacomb is a wonder, and for me,
breath-taking. The sound clarity and "presence" of
this Telarc recording are outstanding. In the
Pines of the Villa Borghese you can hear the
instruments giving out percussive effects to imitate
the toys of the children. But it is the sunny,
sparkling brilliance and tempo of the orchestra
as well that make this piece scintillating!
Of all of the pieces in the Pines, my own particular
favorite (for its associations) is the Pines of the
Janiculum -- that dreamy, lyrical, almost mystic
portrayal of moonlight among the pines and the
lyrical warbling of the nightingale. I am somewhat
of a connoisseur of the warbling nightingale in these
recordings. I don't like Von Karajan's nightingale; it
does not have the echoing resonance of the symphony
hall, but sounds as if it is recorded in nature; and
the Von Karajan nightingale only tweets, it doesn't
have the glorious, full-throated warble of the
Lane nightingale and some of the other recordings.
The gentle piano introduction to the Janiculum in
the Lane recording, the harmonious pacing -- very
lyrical and peaceful and haunting (in beauty, not
grief or languid weariness), the soulful clarinet,
the caressing strings...all give this recorded
version optimal stars from me.
-- Robert Kilgore."