Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Rome connects the music heard here. Berlioz’s cantata La mort de Cléopâtre was a Prix de Rome candidate. Although it didn’t win the prize, its dramatic vocal line and vivid orchestral writing give it riveting operatic power. Bizet paid tribute to the city in his orchestral suite Roma, noteworthy for its lithesome Scherzo and whirling Tarantella finale. Respighi’s spectacularly orchestrated tone poem Pines of Romepaint the city’s greenery in technicolor sound, including frolicking children, holy chants, bird song, and a ghostly Roman legion.