Respighi Pines of Rome
Respighi Pines of Rome
Respighi Pines of Rome
1. I pini di Villa Borghese (The Pines of the Villa Borghese – Allegretto Vivace)
2. Pini presso una catacomb (Pines Near a Catacomb – Lento)
3. I pini del Gianicolo (The Pines of the Janiculum – Lento)
4. I pini della Via Appia (The Pines of the Appian Way – Tempo di Marcia)
Rome stands as one of the greatest city in the world. It was the capital of
one of the mightiest empire in history. It contains the seat of the Catholic
Church, and today one can walk around the streets of Rome to be in awe of
the living history dating back to the Roman era: the Coliseum, St. Peter’s
Basilica, and the Pantheon to name a few. In the early 20 th Century, Italian
composer Ottorino Respighi composed a series of tone poems honoring
the city of Rome. The second of the series is the masterpiece used famously
in Disney’s “Fantasia 2000”: Pines of Rome.
The Pines of the Villa Borghese (Allegretto vivace)—Children are at play in the pine
groves of the Villa Borghese, dancing the Italian equivalent of “Ring around a
Rosy.” They mimic marching soldiers and battles. They twitter and shriek like
swallows at evening, coming and going in swarms. Suddenly the scene changes.
The Pines Near a Catacomb (Lento)—We see the shadows of the pines, which
overhang the entrance of a catacomb. From the depths rises a chant, which echoes
solemnly, like a hymn, and is then mysteriously silenced.
The Pines of the Janiculum (Lento)—There is a thrill in the air. The full moon reveals
the profile of the pines of Gianicolo’s Hill. A nightingale sings.
The Pines of the Appian Way (Tempo di Marcia)—Misty dawn on the Appian Way.
The tragic country is guarded by solitary pines. Indistinctly, incessantly, the
rhythm of unending steps. The poet has a fantastic vision of past glories. Trumpets
blare, and the army of the Consul bursts forth in the grandeur of a newly risen sun
toward the Sacred Way, mounting in triumph the Capitoline Hill.