Pines of Rome

Ottorino Respighi was instrumental in creating a national identity for Italy’s symphonic voice. His tone poem Pines of Rome is an enduring musical ode to the grandeur of nature and the majestic pines that have watched over the city for centuries. This work, and his more raucous depiction of pomp and revelry, Roman Festivals, embrace our exploration of all things Italian. Film composer Nino Rota’s dances from Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) complement Giuseppe Verdi’s distinctly Italian flair lent to Shakespeare’s Scottish play, and 20th-century composer Luciano Berio provides a look back to the Romantic past with radical innovations in sound and synthesis in his 4 dédicaces.