Ottorino Respighi loved his adopted home city of Rome, especially the hundreds of fountains. He once said, "I wonder why no one has ever thought of making the fountains of Rome 'sing,' for they are, after all, the very voice of the city." Since no one else thought to do it, Respighi took on the job. The result was his orchestral tone poem, "The Fountains of Rome," with its evocative depictions of splashing, gurgling, spurting water in the Eternal City. Vladimir Ashkenazy leads the San Francisco Symphony in a performance from Davies Symphony Hall.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Ottorino Respighi: Song and Dance from Brazilian Impressions
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, conductor
Tomaso Albinoni: Introduction and Allegro from Sonata for Violin and Continuo, Op. 6, No. 5
The Empire Brass
Spivey Hall, Morrow, Georgia
Luigi Boccherini: Fandango from Quintet for Guitar and Strings in D, G. 448
Interpreti Veneziani
Camelback Bible Church, Phoenix
The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Ben Fox from Boston
Ottorino Respighi: The Fountains of Rome
The San Francisco Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
Hour 2
Johann Gottlieb Janitsch: Third movement from Quartet in D for Two Traversi, Viola, and Continuo
Jed Wentz, traverso, Musica ad Rhenum
Traditional (Arranged by David Greenberg): Medley of Joy
The Seattle Baroque Orchestra, David Greenberg, fiddle and director
Benaroya Hall, Seattle
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon Primi Toni
The G8 Octet
Plateau Christian Church, Gatineau, Quebec
Domenico Gabrieli: Recercar No. 2 in A Minor for Solo Double Bass
Edicson Ruiz, double bass
Chopin and his Europe International Music Festival, Warsaw, Poland
Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzon No. 28
The London Symphony Orchestra Brass, Eric Crees, conductor
Johann Gottlieb Janitsch: Sonata da Camera in C
Tempesta di Mare
Old St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia
Soghomon Gevorki Soghomonyan (Komitas): Hymn of the Baptism of Christ
The Hilliard Ensemble, Jan Garbarek, tenor saxophone
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
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