Presto Musical Minds

Good Afternoon!
Today's piece of the week is one that may be new to many of you. It is undoubtedly a major work in the history of symphonic music. Ottorino Respighi is the composer of this. He is a Roman composer who had his birthday this July.

The piece is part of a larger work called "Pines of Rome", and it is entitled "Pines of the Appian Way". It is the finale of the massive work of "Pines of Rome". My favorite part of this piece is the build from the beginning to the end. The beginning is quite creepy, quiet, and dissonant. It almost sounds like something you would hear out of a horror movie, nothing like what it is about to become. Towards the end, the brass powers through, and the piece culminates in an epic finale. This piece was featured in Disney's "Fantasia 2000", and has a nice animation that plays along with it, involving a bunch of flying whales. I hope you enjoy this piece, and let me know your thoughts on it below!

Respighi: Pines Of Rome, P. 141 - 4. The Pines Of The Appian Way Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupRespighi: Pines Of Rome, P. 141 - 4. The Pines Of The Appian Way · Berliner Philharmoniker · Herbert von KarajanR...

For our first Piece of the Week, I would like to share a famous piece by the late English composer Edward Elgar, who just had his birthday on June 2nd. This piece is titled "Pomp and Circumstance No.1" and you may recognize it as the "Graduation March." The third section, or "Trio" section, is played at almost every single graduation ceremony today. See if you can identify that part!

If you fully listen to the Youtube link below and answer the question on the weekly logs, you will be awarded a Presto Point!

Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March No.1" - Audio + Full Score pf: Eric Robinson cond/ National Philharmonic Orchestra