If you’ve ever spent some time in an Italian city you know they can be distinctly noisy places. So it should come as little surprise then that the four movements that comprise Ottorino Respighi’s Feste Romane [Roman Festivals] are among the loudest music ever written.
Feste Romane is the last part of a triptych of works centred on the Roman capital, the other two being Fontane di Roma [Fountains of Rome] and Pini di Roma [Pines of Rome].
The first movement, Circenses, takes us to ancient Rome, the Coliseum and the awful fate of the early Christian martyrs, savaged and killed by wild beasts:
The second section, Giubileo transports us to the modern city and deals with the Jubilee celebrated by the Catholic Church every twenty-five years. It ends with a sound-image of pilgrims overlooking the city from Mount Mario, with the bells ringing out:
… next we have L’Ottobrata, a trip to the Roman countryside to celebrate harvest, hunting and love:
… and, finally, Befana [Epiphany] and the clamour of partying Romans featuring popular songs and dances and a slightly tipsy trombonist:
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Pontarddulais!
Previous weeks:
The Art of Listening 