"The woodwinds and strings of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are stunning in this particular recording and produce some magical moments throughout the music, in particular during the Pine Trees near a Catacomb, Il Giubileo, and I don’t remember ever hearing as beautiful a rendition of the Pine Trees of the Janiculum. The way the strings just seem to melt back in after the song of a nightingale is very moving. The sound engineers at Onyx bring an extra touch to The Pines of the Appian Way by adding a bit of reverb to the recording, which well conveys the spectral image of an ancient Roman army marching to their final glory. And out of the many recordings I’ve listened to over the years, this is the first time I’ve been able to actually hear the pipe organ nestled within the orchestra during this movement, and again a few times during the Roman Festivals."
Classical Music Sentinel.com - 16 August 2011
"Nobody could ever accuse Respighi of holding himself back. Subtlety simply plays no part in his celebrated Roman triptych, three tone poems of 1917-29. they are alluringly, dangerously exuberant, all brash, diatonic tunes, pulsing climaxes, roaring organ or atmospheric murmuring. Yet surely, once in a while, we should indulge in this outrageous music, especially in these highly charged and glossy performances" ***
Stephen Pettit - The Sunday Times - 14 August 2011
"..pure listening pleasure”
Norman Lebrecht - La Scena Musicale - 11 July 2011
"...These very enjoyable and likeable performances – Roman Festivals is outstanding – offer strong competition to perhaps the best of more-recent versions of Respighi’s Roman travelogue, namely that by the Saint Cecilia Orchestra and Antonio Pappano on EMI (which has the bonus of Respighi’s very beautiful Il tramonto). Certainly the RPO and Caballé-Domenech can more than hold their own in such illustrious company."
The Classical Source.com - 19 July 2011
"...Conductor Josep Caballé-Domenech, who studied conducting with Sergiu Comissiona and David Zinman, delivers one of the finest accounts I’ve heard in many years, full of detail, full of imagery, cinematic in scope but yet touching. And when drunken revelry, muscle and sonic savagery are required during the final La Befana, he’s right there with the best of them. And wait ’til you hear the organ pedal notes underpinning the orchestra. If you’ve never heard these magnificent works by Respighi, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you have, then treat yourself to this fine new recording."
Jean-Yves Duperron - August 2011
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