Roman Festivals
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)

THE STORY

Composed in 1928, with a premiere a year later in New York, Feste Romane is the final piece in Respighi’s symphonic “triptych” dedicated to the Eternal City. The four movements depict events from ancient to present-day Rome. In the opening Circus Games, spectators gather at the Circus Maximus, Rome’s oldest and largest stadium and the home to public games such as chariot racing and gladiator fights.

In the following tableau, Respighi observes pilgrims heading toward Rome for The Jubilee, an event celebrated every 50 years reflecting the Jewish tradition of remission of sins and debts  after seven Sabbath years. Penitent and weary souls are heard but eventually awaken with courage.

Harvest Festivals in October unfolds in the luxurious castelli, country castle residences built by the Roman aristocracy. Rome’s balmy weather and bright days in the autumnal month called for celebration—within the vine-covered fortresses, one hears hunting horns, tinkling bells, and songs of love at a distance.

In the closing Epiphany, the Piazza Navona comes to life with the annual Christmas market on the eve of Epiphany. The witch, La Befana (an Italian equivalent of Santa Claus), distributes gifts to children as the crowds celebrate the Three Wise Men’s visit to the newborn Christ.

LISTEN FOR

• Ferocious beasts evoked by the low brass in Circus Games while a recurring trumpet solo heralds the games
• The flagging spirits of pilgrims, initially marked doloroso e stanco (sad and weary) but rejuvenated upon arrival in the Eternal City and its tolling bells at the movement’s end
• The mandolin and sleighbells of October Festival, adding layers of activities at dusk
• Boisterous noises of the busy market in Epiphany, with festive celebrations of gifts and holiday cheer

INSTRUMENTATION

Piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, E-flat clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, mandolin, timpani, percussion, piano, organ, strings (offstage: three trumpets)