Pini di Roma

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Pini di Roma (Italian “Pines of Rome”) is a 1924 work by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, and is considered one of the masterpieces of the Roman Trilogy of symphonic poems along with Feste Romane and Fontane di Roma. Each movement portrays different groups of pines within the city during different parts of the day.

The first movement, called I pini di Villa Borghese, portrays childen playing by large trees in a villa belonging to the aristocratic Borghese family. The music recounts a sunny morning, and a cheerful tune is set to children humming and playing. The second movement, Pini presso una catacomba has a more melancholic tune, representing pine trees in a deserted chapel next to tombs in the region of Campagna. Lower orchestral tunes represent the subterranean feature of the catacombs. The third part I pini del Gianiculo is set at night, near a temple of the Roman god Janus on the Janiculum hill. Double-faced gods open large doors and gates, marking the beginning of a new year. A nightingale is heard, giving Respighi the opportunity to include real life bird sounds in his work, a feat unachieved before (the score mentions a specific recording that can be played on a phonograph). The final movement I pini della Via Appia portrays pine trees along the great Appian Way. A legion is led down the road, as a fantastic air hails the former glories of the Roman Republic. The Consul is then led up onto the Capitoline hill at daybreak for his Roman triumph.

Movements

1. I pini di Villa Borghese (Pines of the Villa Borghese)
2. Pini presso una catacomba (Pines near a catacomb)
3. I pini del Gianicolo (Pines of the Janiculum)
4. I pini della Via Appia (Pines of the Appian Way)

Use in movies

An edited version was used to accompany frolicking humpback whales in the animated movie Fantasia 2000. The second movement of the piece is omitted.

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