Search - Ottorino Respighi, Jesús López-Cobos, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra :: Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Metamorphoseon Modi XII

Goes straight to the top of the list

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 05/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been buying recordings of Pines/Fountains since about 1950 and must have twelve of them. This one goes straight to the top of the list, although I wouldn't want to give up those of Munch, Bernstein, Toscanini. This Cincinnati orchestra is an unknown treasure. The very soloistic music is amazingly served by the Cincinnati principals (I'd like to single out the solo clarinet, English horn, and trumpet), the string section (shades of the old Philadelphia Orchestra!) is especially rich, and Lopez-Cobos's tempi are very well-judged. The Metamorphoseon is like a 25-minute Concerto for Orchestra where the orchestra and its soloists continually shine. Telarc's recording puts this at the top of the class acoustically as well."

Wow! Incredible music.

J Scott Morrison | 12/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra proves itself worthy of the status associated with being one of a handful of orchestras to reach a prestigious artistic level. The strings have a gorgeous but precise blend, the woodwinds have a kaleidoscopic array of colors, and the brass really come to the fore in the finale of "The Pines of Rome".



The woodwind section in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is stunning. The principal clarinetist plays the delicate solos in the penultimate movement of "Pines" with a warm, rich sound. Special note must also be made for the english horn solo in the finale, which captures the attention of all by way of its seductive, hypnotic character.



Metamorphosen Modi XII displays many different images. All of the soloists in this piece are virtuosos, and it shows.



Overall, an incredible and vivid recording; worthy of high praise."

Restrained Power

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 08/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As has come to be expected from Maestro López-Cobos and his Cincinnati forces as recorded on Telarc, this is an excellent recording in terms of both performance and sound. López-Cobos seems to have a knack for conducting performances that exhibit a kind of restrained power, never seeming to pull out all the stops, but impressing instead by the controlled energy that is barely contained by the recording. When some of the energy does come out, its effect is all the more dramatic because it has not been expended for mere showmanship. At the end of Pines, for example, there is no huge percussion outburst as in some recordings, but the energy level, undergirded by some awesome bass notes, is every bit the equal of other, flashier performances. With these forces, you come to appreciate the music, not just the sound, of these sonic spectaculars.



As an enticement to those collectors who may already own several recordings of the Pines and Fountains, Telarc has included a recording of a Respighi piece that is not often heard, Metamorphoseon Modi XII, comprising a theme and a dozen variations. It is certainly a piece worth hearing, and its inclusion on this CD should make this disk all the more appealing to Respighi fans."