Ottorino Respighi; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - Roman Festivals; Pines of Rome; The Golden Cockerel Suite (Lorin Maazel)

Information

Composer: Ottorino Respighi; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

1. Respighi - Roman Festivals: 1. Circenses
2. Respighi - Roman Festivals: 2. Il giubileo
3. Respighi - Roman Festivals: 3. L'Ottobrata
4. Respighi - Roman Festivals: 4. La Befana
5. Respighi - Pines of Rome: The Pines of Villa Borghese (I pini di Villa Borghese)
6. Respighi - Pines of Rome: The Pines near a Catacomb (Pini presso una catacomba)
7. Respighi - Pines of Rome: The Pines of the Janiculum (I pini del Gianicolo)
8. Respighi - Pines of Rome: The Pines of the Appian Way (I pini della Via Appia)
9. Rimsky-Korsakov - The Golden Cockerel (Le coq d'or), suite from the opera: 1. King Dodon in his Palace
10. Rimsky-Korsakov - The Golden Cockerel (Le coq d'or), suite from the opera: 2. King Dodon on the Battlefield
11. Rimsky-Korsakov - The Golden Cockerel (Le coq d'or), suite from the opera: 3. King Dodon with Queen Chimaka
12. Rimsky-Korsakov - The Golden Cockerel (Le coq d'or), suite from the opera: 4. Marriage Feast and Lamentable End of King Dodon

Cleveland Orchestra
Lorin Maazel, conductor
Date: 1976 (1-8), 1979 (9-12)

Label: Decca
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4669932

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

The blurb on the backside of the CD, quoted from a review of the original recording in 1976, says everything: “There really is no point in making comparisons here, as Maazel’s account of Feste Romane is something of a revelation–by far the finest recording this work has ever achieved”. Those words are still true today, as both Lorin Maazel and Decca had reached their zenith with the Cleveland Orchestra in those late analog days. Just for starters, sample the Clevelanders’ spine-chilling precision and garishness in “Circuses”–the opening scene that so graphically depicts the Circus Maximus. From there on, things only get better as both “Jubilee” and “Oktoberfest” quite tangibly capture the atmosphere and flavor of their respective festivities. In the final “Epiphany”, well, what can I say? Just brace yourself to be rolled over by the musical equivalent of a Mack truck.

Maazel’s Pines of Rome fares almost as well, but his “Pines of the Appian Way” doesn’t quite crescendo all way to the very last note (only Fritz Reiner’s justly famous account manages this) and the recording suffers from confusion in the bass (the march rhythms are almost totally lost). Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral suite from Le Coq d’or makes for a rather light-weight filler, but who’s going to complain when the sound and execution is as good as it is here? This Decca Legends reissue gets a 10/10 rating on the merit of Maazel’s “Feste Romane” alone–a true orchestral “tour de force”. [9/24/2000]

-- ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/feb01/Respighi_Maazel.htm
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/d/dgg63614a.php
http://www.classicalcdreview.com/resmaz.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Respighi-romane-Maazel-Cleveland-Orchestra/dp/B00004TEV0

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Ottorino Respighi (9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936) was an Italian composer and musicologist. He is best known for his orchestral music, particularly the three Roman tone poems: Fountains of Rome (Fontane di Roma), Pines of Rome (I pini di Roma), and Roman Festivals (Feste romane). His musicological interest in 16th-, 17th- and 18th-century music led him to compose pieces based on the music of these periods. Although Respighi was known primarily as composers of instrumental and orchestral music, he also wrote a number of operas, the most famous of which is La fiamma.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi

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Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (18 March [O.S. 6 March] 1844 – 21 June [O.S. 8 June] 1908) was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five. He was considered a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas. Rimsky-Korsakov shaped a generation of younger composers and musicians during his decades as an educator, and is considered "the main architect" of what the classical music public considers the Russian style of composition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Rimsky-Korsakov

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Lorin Maazel (March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. As a conductor, Maazel was well-regarded in baton technique and possessed a photographic memory for scores. He was music director of the Cleveland Orchestra (1972-1982), Orchestre National de France (1977-1991), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1988-1996), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (1993-2002), and the New York Philharmonic (2002-2009), among other posts. Maazel's catalogue contained over 300 recordings of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Schubert, Richard Strauss and others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorin_Maazel

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