Roman Festivals (Respighi)

Feste Romane, German Roman festivities, is the last of three symphonic poems by Ottorino Respighi, which together form the Roman trilogy. It was founded in 1928, twelve years after the first tone poem of the cycle, Fontane di Roma ( The Fountains of Rome dt ), and four years after the central business Pini di Roma ( The Pines of Rome dt ). Like the other two it is divided into four sets and is one of the best-known legacies of the composer. It was premiered on February 21, 1929 in Carnegie Hall in New York by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Arturo Toscanini.

Phrases and programmatic

The work consists of four movements:

• Circenses ( circuses )
• Il Giubileo ( The Jubilee )
• L' Ottobrata (Oktoberfest)
• La Befana ( Epiphany night)

The composer presented the following program ahead score:

" The sky is dark over the Circus Maximus, but the people are in a festive mood; "Hail Nero ," The iron gates are opened and soon a chant sounds along with the roar of wild animals. The crowd sways back and forth and shakes: Unverzagt increases the singing of the martyrs up, wins and lost in the commotion. The pilgrims praying drag out on the long road. Finally, the height of the Monte Mario, see her burning eyes and languid souls the holy city, " Rome! Rome! "They break into the jubilant hymn" Christ is risen! "And it replied them the bells of all the churches. Roman Oktoberfest in the rebenumkränzten Roman forts: distant hunting cries, ringing harnesses, love songs. It trembles a romantic serenade by the mild evening air. The Epiphany night in Piazza Navona; a characteristic trumpet rhythm dominates the frenetic noise to time over bobbing on his shrill surf of time all kinds of sound structures as Peasant Songs, Saltarellenhopser, machinery organ sounds from a show booth and the voice of the crier, the bawling drunk and confident refrain, in which the Roman people his soul specifies: " Lassafece Passa, semo Romani! " ( "Let us through, we are Romans !") "