Roman Snapshots

Khachaturian’s acclaimed ballet depicts the turbulent life of a slave, turned gladiator, turned revolutionary who almost brought the Roman Empire to its knees. The music is a tour de force of epic proportions evoking the splendour and barbarism of life during these brutal times, as well as moments of delicate tenderness as in the famous adagio. With its graceful main theme and resourceful invention, the Rococo Variations remains one of Tchaikovsky's most popular pieces. It is a work characterised by carefree charm, grace and the indomitable spirit of his idol, Mozart, filtered through his Russian and Romantic sensibilities. Respighi’s most popular works are his triptych of wonderfully orchestrated musical postcards from the Eternal City. His sumptuous Pines of Rome depicts four scenes as witnessed by the trees that have stood sentinel for centuries: the glittering sunlit gardens of the Villa Borghese, the solemn hush of the Catacombs, the scented evening warmth on the elegant Janiculum hill, and the memory of an approaching Imperial army thundering past along the Appian Way.