Chausson Poeme Program Notes

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The Pines of Rome Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) Written: 1924 Movements: Four (played without pause) Style: Contemporary Duration: 23 minutes When it comes to the music of the twentieth century, scholars tend to focus on the “giants”—those composers whose works break with the past and set music on new paths. Those giants—like Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg—produced most of their earth-shattering works in the first thirty years of the century. They had a powerful influence on all music. But there are also the “not-so-giants” who were actively writing at the same time. Their music, much of it very interesting and good, has had a difficult time making it into the standard repertoire.

PROGRAM NOTES CONCERT AARON ROSAND AND ROBERT KOENIG (10/24/04) Aaron Rosand, Violin Robert Koenig. Chausson\'s \'Poeme\' was composed. \'Poeme,\' Opus 25 Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) Ernest Chausson was the most gifted of the post Cesar Franck composers in 19th century France. His early death, in a bicycle accident, deprived the world of a potentially great creative talent.

Because of his conservative nature, Ottorino Respighi never made it into the pantheon of the great composers. Nevertheless, in terms of mastering the craft of writing for orchestra, he has few equals. Respighi didn’t want to be avante-garde. Instead, “he desired above all to compose music that would speak to his compatriots about all aspects of their beloved country in a musical language that was beautiful and easy for ordinary people to accept and enjoy.” The works that he is best known for are a series of three symphonic pictures called tone poems. In each, Respighi handles the orchestra as if it were a canvas on which he paints vivid sound colors.

The first, written in 1916, is called The Fountains of Rome and the third, Roman Festivals was written in 1928. The second, The Pines of Rome, was written in 1924. Thankfully, these works are part of the standard repertoire and are audience favorites. Writing in the third person, Respighi provided the following comment for the first Philadelphia Orchestra performance of The Pines of Rome: While in his preceding work, The Fountains of Rome, the composer sought to reproduce by means of tone an impression of nature, in the Pines of Rome he uses nature as a point of departure, in order to recall memories and visions. The century-old trees which dominate so characteristically the Roman landscape become testimony for the principal events in Roman life. For further clarification, he included the following explanation in the score: The Pines of Villa Borghese. Children are at play in the pine grove of the Villa Borghese, dancing the Italian equivalent of “Ring around a Rosy”; mimicking marching soldiers and battles; twittering and shrieking like swallows at evening; and they disappear.

Suddenly the scene changes to – The Pines near a Catacomb. We see the shadows of the pines, which overhang the entrance of a catacomb.

From the depths rises a chant which reechoes solemnly, like a hymn, and is then mysteriously silenced. The Pines of the Janiculum. There is a thrill in the air. The full moon reveals the profile of the pines of Gianicolo’s Hill.

A cookie is an alphanumeric identifier that is transferred to your computer\'s hard drive through your web browser. A cookie enables our system to recognize your browser and allows us to keep your session intact on ArkivMusic.com. This means, for example, that we can keep track of items you\'ve placed in your shopping cart while you continue to look for other products throughout the site. We will never use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that did not originate from ArkivMusic.com.

The Pines of Rome Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) Written: 1924 Movements: Four (played without pause) Style: Contemporary Duration: 23 minutes When it comes to the music of the twentieth century, scholars tend to focus on the “giants”—those composers whose works break with the past and set music on new paths. Those giants—like Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg—produced most of their earth-shattering works in the first thirty years of the century. They had a powerful influence on all music. But there are also the “not-so-giants” who were actively writing at the same time. Their music, much of it very interesting and good, has had a difficult time making it into the standard repertoire.

PROGRAM NOTES CONCERT AARON ROSAND AND ROBERT KOENIG (10/24/04) Aaron Rosand, Violin Robert Koenig. Chausson\'s \'Poeme\' was composed. \'Poeme,\' Opus 25 Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) Ernest Chausson was the most gifted of the post Cesar Franck composers in 19th century France. His early death, in a bicycle accident, deprived the world of a potentially great creative talent.

Because of his conservative nature, Ottorino Respighi never made it into the pantheon of the great composers. Nevertheless, in terms of mastering the craft of writing for orchestra, he has few equals. Respighi didn’t want to be avante-garde. Instead, “he desired above all to compose music that would speak to his compatriots about all aspects of their beloved country in a musical language that was beautiful and easy for ordinary people to accept and enjoy.” The works that he is best known for are a series of three symphonic pictures called tone poems. In each, Respighi handles the orchestra as if it were a canvas on which he paints vivid sound colors.

The first, written in 1916, is called The Fountains of Rome and the third, Roman Festivals was written in 1928. The second, The Pines of Rome, was written in 1924. Thankfully, these works are part of the standard repertoire and are audience favorites. Writing in the third person, Respighi provided the following comment for the first Philadelphia Orchestra performance of The Pines of Rome: While in his preceding work, The Fountains of Rome, the composer sought to reproduce by means of tone an impression of nature, in the Pines of Rome he uses nature as a point of departure, in order to recall memories and visions. The century-old trees which dominate so characteristically the Roman landscape become testimony for the principal events in Roman life. For further clarification, he included the following explanation in the score: The Pines of Villa Borghese. Children are at play in the pine grove of the Villa Borghese, dancing the Italian equivalent of “Ring around a Rosy”; mimicking marching soldiers and battles; twittering and shrieking like swallows at evening; and they disappear.

Suddenly the scene changes to – The Pines near a Catacomb. We see the shadows of the pines, which overhang the entrance of a catacomb.

From the depths rises a chant which reechoes solemnly, like a hymn, and is then mysteriously silenced. The Pines of the Janiculum. There is a thrill in the air. The full moon reveals the profile of the pines of Gianicolo’s Hill.