Along with The Planets by Gustav Holst, the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss or the Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé, amongst others, the Roman Trilogy by Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) certainly ranks as one of the top orchestral showpieces of the 20th century. It evokes vivid imagery, invokes strong emotions, and even stirs up reactions at a visceral level. And that's what I look for every time I listen to a new recording of this finest specimen of orchestration. I expect my spine to tingle, my hair to rise, my heart rate to increase and my imagination to soar.

Conductor JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra may not quite convey the drunken revelry, vulgar frenzy, muscle and sonic savagery required during the final La Befana ('Epiphany') from the Roman Festivals, but they along with the Naxos sound engineers well capture and project many other facets of this work. The epic grandeur and barbaric brutality of the Circenses ('Circus Maximus'), the dark, sombre and stoic solitude of the Pini presso una catacomba ('Pines near a Catacomb') from the Pines of Rome. The delicate sparkle of the La fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto ('The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset') from the Fountains of Rome, the paradisiacal portrayal of nature in the I pini del Gianicolo ('The Pines of the Janiculum') in which near the end, nightingale song and all, you can almost smell the fragrance of the evening. And last but not least, the relentless martial steps of the ancient Roman legion advancing in triumph in the I pini della via Appia ('The Pines of the Appian Way') where, starting at the 2:00 minute mark, you can't quite hear but you can feel the bottomless pipe organ pedal note driving them on to glory. Adrenaline rush achieved!