Pines of Rome

Respighi’s Pines of Rome transports listeners across the landscapes and legends of the Eternal City, moving from present-day scenes to visions of ancient Rome. More expansive and dramatic than its sister work, Fountains of Rome, the piece surrounds the listener with brilliant orchestral color, from playful fanfares to shadowed catacombs and moonlit stillness.

This live recording captures the full sweep of Respighi’s imagination. Children play beneath the pines of the Villa Borghese, solemn chants rise near a catacomb, and a nightingale sings over the Janiculum. The final movement builds slowly and powerfully along the Appian Way, as distant footsteps grow into a blazing vision of imperial Rome.