Respighi's Pines of Rome

I thoroughly enjoyed last night's Utah Symphony concert because every piece the orchestra played was exceptionally beautiful!  The first half of the concert featured Mozart, who is my very favorite composer, and the second half featured Respighi, who I was unfamiliar with before the concert but who I now count among my growing list of favorites.  The first piece was the Overture to Idomeneo.  I have never seen this opera before but I loved the overture because, like much of Mozart's music, it is light and delicate but still quite dramatic.  Next came Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, featuring guest soloist Viviane Hagner, a great favorite with Utah Symphony audiences (and the reason I chose this particular concert) on violin and Brant Bayless on viola.  This piece is highly emotional and I particularly loved the juxtaposition between soft and loud.  Hagner and Bayless performed the piece brilliantly and I really enjoyed the interplay between the violin and viola.  After the intermission, the orchestra played The Birds by Respighi and this piece was delightful.  Various instruments represent the dove, the hen, the nightingale, and the cuckoo.  I think the solo clarinet perfectly captured the sweetness of the dove.  The concert ended with Respighi's Pines of Rome which is a tribute to various scenes around Rome.  I thought it was amazing and I especially liked the dark and rich tones of the cellos in the second movement, "The Pines near a Catacomb," and the triumphant fanfare of the trumpets and the timpani depicting the grandeur of the Roman army in the final movement, "The Pines of the Appian Way."  I loved every minute of this beautiful concert (so did the rest of the audience judging from the thunderous standing ovation at the conclusion) and I highly recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here).