Respighi: Roman Trilogy in Bloomington, MN

Ottorino Respighi
's three four-movement tone poems, collectively known as the "Roman Trilogy," have been popular since their premieres, and there is no shortage of recordings of them. However, here is one that is worth consideration from a rising conductor and a major orchestra that is not recorded as often as it ought to be. These Roman scenes graft an Impressionist layer onto what are basically warm, Romantic representational works; the earliest of them,
The Fountains of Rome
, may have been inspired by
Smetana
's
The Moldau
. The pieces are richly orchestrated, and plenty of orchestras, Italian or not, do well with that aspect. Yet what conductor
Robert Trevino
and the
Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI
bring to the work is a certain Italianita, an unabashed lyricism in "The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset" in
, and an unrestrained atmosphere of unbridled street life in the "Epiphany" finale of the
Roman Festivals
with its brash syncopations. There might be brass sections that carry this off with a bit more precision, but that really doesn't matter; this is absolutely infectious fun, and the performances are fully in the spirit of these evergreen favorites. With the
Ondine
label providing fine sound in the Auditorium RAI di Torino, a hall the musicians know well, this is a release that will make one remember what it was they loved about this music in the first place. ~ James Manheim