Pini di Roma (tr Nefs)

From Wind Repertory Project
Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi (trans. Jacco Nefs)


General Info

Year: 1924 / 2012
Duration: c. 22:30
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Jacco Nefs
Cost: Score and Parts - $260.00


Movements (may be played without pause)

1. Pini da Villa Borghese - 2:45
2. Pini presso una catacomb - 6:55
3. I pini del Gianicolo - 6:20
4. I pini della via Appia - 5:15


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Solo Flute I-II
Flute tutti
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
Solo B-flat Clarinet I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Celesta
Organ
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Nightingale
  • Ratchet
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tamburino Basque
  • Tam-Tam
  • Triangle


Off-stage Band (fourth movement):

  • Flugelhorns/Trumpets I-II-III-IV
  • Tenorhorn/Trombone I-II


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome) is the second of three tone poems written by Respighi between 1917 and 1929. These tone poems are the most well-known works in his oeuvre. Pines of Rome combines his skill for colorful orchestration with his interest in early music, particularly medieval music and folk songs. This work is based on children’s folk tunes, which he learned from his wife. Premiered on December 14, 1924, at the Teatro Augusteo in Rome, Pines of Rome initially received boos and hisses from the audience at the end of the first movement due to its “discordant trumpet writing,” and the nightingale sound at the end of the third movement wasn’t appreciated much either. The rest of the piece was well received, rewarded with a standing ovation. The work was premiered in the United States by Arturo Toscanini in 1926 and has since become a staple of the repertoire.

In four movements, Respighi notates specifically in the score how he envisioned each movement. He offers the following:

I. Pini da villa Borghese (The Pines of Villa Borghese)
Children are at play in the pine groves of Villa Borghese; they dance round in circles. They play at soldiers, marching and fighting, they are wrought up by their own cries like swallows at evening, they come and go in swarms.

II. Pini presso una catacomb (Pines Near a Catacomb)
Suddenly the scene changes -- we see the shades of the pine trees fringing the entrance to a catacomb. From the depth rises the sound of a mournful chant, floating through the air like a solemn hymn, and gradually and mysteriously dispersing.

III. I pini del Gianicolo (The Pines of the Janiculum)
(Lento, 4/4; piano cadenza; clarinet solo). There is a thrill in the air. The full moon reveals the profile of the pines of Gianicolo’s Hill. A nightingale sings.

IV. I pini della via Appia (The Pines of the Appian Way)
Misty dawn on the Appian Way: solitary pine trees guarding the magic landscape; the muffled, ceaseless rhythm of unending footsteps. The poet has a fantastic vision of bygone glories: trumpets sound and, in the brilliance of the newly risen sun, a consular army bursts forth towards the Sacred Way, mounting in triumph to the Capitol.

- Program note by Seth Wollam for the Lone Star Wind Orchestra


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Michigan State University (East Lansing) Wind Symphony (Kevin Sedatole, conductor) – 19 November 2023
  • University of Texas (Austin) Wind Ensemble (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 9 February 2022
  • University of Miami (Coral Gables) Frost Wind Ensemble (Robert Carnochan, conductor) – 1 February 2020
  • West Chester University (Penn.) Wind Ensemble (John M. Carnochan, conductor) – 8 December 2019
  • Vandegrift High School (Austin, Texas) Wind Ensemble (Mike Howard, conductor) – 4 May 2018
  • Amsterdam Tramharmonie (The Netherlands) (Jacco Nefs, conductor) – 18 November 2017
  • Wind Band NLS Klaaswaal (The Netherlands)(Michael Engelbrecht, conductor) – 14 November 2015
  • Dallas (Tx.) Winds (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 15 September 2015
  • Orkest Orventus (The Netherlands) (Jacco Nefs, conductor) – 22 September 2012


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

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