Artist(s): Ernest Ansermet
L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Recording Info: Recorded by Decca 18-26 Jan 1963 Victoria Hall, Geneva
Producer: Ray Minshull Engineer: Roy Wallace
The Pines Of Rome (20:10)
1 The Pines Of The Villa Borghese
2 Pines Near A Catacomb
3 The Pines Of The Gianicolo
4 The Pines Of The Appian Way
The Fountains Of Rome (14:50)
5 The Fountain Of The Valle Giulia At Dawn
6 The Triton Fountain At Morn
7 The Fountain Of Trevi At Mid-day
8 The Villa Medici Fountain At Sunset
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The Pines and Fountains Of Rome Review
I have heard The Pines Of Rome in person three times in my life. The first and best was at the State University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa - many years ago. It is the only time I have heard it with the FULL INSTRUMENTATION. Imagine a giant Mahler-size orchestra with huge brass and percussion sections plus two additional band ensembles usually incorporated within the main orchestra body. Add a pair of regular cymbals and a pair of the yard wide ones that require an Arnold Schwarzenegger just to hold. Then imagine an ensemble about three or four audience rows in front consisting of a large array of exotic tuned percussion and other mystical instruments you’ve never seen before! There will never be a recording (nor would you want one!) that could fully bring you all this without destroying your home in the process! There are a number of good recordings of the Pines and Fountains out there but my preference narrows down to two. They are the old RCA Toscanini hifi recording (which with its shocking wide dynamic range for the time reviewers referred to as the recording to devastate your neighbors by) and this wonderful spacious London recording by Ansermet and the Suisse Romande. Ansermet and the engineers have given us perhaps an ideal audio view into this piece, both intimate and heralded. The brass choirs here are especially notable. We think of this piece as being very loud (which it is at times) but much of it is soft, softer, and softest. This is all preserved as well as the progression toward the magnificent climaxes. The loudest moment really IS at the very end (in the Pines) and the better your equipment the better it will sound! (This may be the piece to upgrade your equipment by!) I seem to be neglecting the Fountains here but everything said about the Pines goes equally well for the Fountains! I’ve waited years for this recording to be available in this good format. The Australian re-release left something to be desired. Lastly - The inclusion of the original lp artwork (The Trevi Fountain by Giovanni Battista Piranesi) is a really good touch as is the inclusion of the excellent notes!

Interesting for the sound
For LP and digital audiophiles Ansermet’s OSR recordings are highly collectible. But with the best will in the world the Gallic flavoured woodwind sounded decidedly provincial, the string tone was thin and the ensemble was - at best - less than crisp. Despite this, Ansermet (who again wasn’t in the front-rank of conductors) moves the scores forward, relishes the stunning orchestration and thereby creates evocative sound worlds, a vital part of conducting Respighi, although the fff organ chords in La fontana di Trevi al meriggio lack impact. Nevertheless, when you can buy Dutoit, Jansons, Reiner etc. and the greatest of all Respighi conductors, Toscanini (on early tube produced LPs, not the abysmal RCA CDs), this might seem like an interesting curiosity, but in terms of the sound it is very interesting. It was recorded in 1963, by which time Decca were producing state-of-the-art sound, minus the bass-light, timpani and/or brass shy qualities of some of their (and many other labels) early LPs. And yet here you have excellent clarity and definition and the internal balance is good, but even allowing for the orchestral playing, the lower-bass and upper-treble are under-nourished. So this is really a throw-back. The DSD256 transfer however makes a Decca Eloquence CD sound what it is, audio junk, so for Ansermet/Decca fans this is the one to go for, although my download doesn't divide each of the works up.


Adroit performances with panache
Ansermet and the OSR gives us adroit performances filled with energy and dynamic contrasts. The pacing is just about perfect. And the dynamic contrasts (almost extreme) add energy and interest. Yes, there is the typical acidic oboe amongst the somewhat astringent woodwinds, but that is what differentiates this orchestra from the almost bland uniformity of world common performance standards today. A nice alternative to the "too pretty" sounds of some other orchestras/conductions that miss the energy and urgency of this music. But, good as it is, it in no way displaces the great Reiner/CSO recording from a few years earlier. Still, Roy Wallace works his magic in Geneva with some highly resolved, very transparent orchestral sound. A nice addition to the music library here!
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