Pines of Rome, Movement IV, Pines of the Appian Way

[@izzyj2023]

I just finished playing this today in my college orchestra. Easily my favorite movement of pines. Loved every moment ❤

[@MotionMark]

2:26 me trying to remember where I put my car keys. 3:18 Getting frustrated that you cant find them 4:20 decide to take your row boat instead 5:35 remembered that you just forgot your grocery list at home.

[@sponge917]

Most hilarious comment yet on this video. Bravo sir 👏🏻

[@CubieMe]

don't think i've ever laughed that hard at a youtube comment

[@nedwhitesell297]

At first I thought he was talking about parts of the music instead of the conductor's facial expressions (as I assume he actually meant) and I was like "okay" but then I figured it out and completely lost it

[@scottrogers1493]

4:45-5:03 jerk on a wave runner cut you off in your row boat. You summon the winged beast, Galliplatipus Rex to avenge you.

[@timothybonis1614]

MarkimusMaximus9 Igh

[@dawnpoint]

We string players know we're the life of the party, but let's be real, once this thing gets rolling we could just leave and let the brass finish and you'd never hear our absence.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Taylor Rhodes if the tubas want to be heard, then they will not only be heard, but they will drown out the rest of the band

[@keemez]

Psh. Tubas. Psh. I give you: photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6214/3405/1600/Clipboard07.0.jpg

[@EnderSpy358]

Taylor Rhodes strings are a very important part in my opinion

[@aaronlaughlin2389]

Le they do add a lot that brass just cant

[@jakehenry6362]

You spelled bass trombone wrong. You put an r in bass and left of the trombone partXD

[@jamesavatar5]

It's one thing to hear this piece, but it's a COMPLETELY different feeling to play it. I have never loved to play a piece so much in my life.

[@honestythegreat2438]

I just finished playing it at Kauffman Center and boy was it an experience. What an electrifying opus.

[@jwhaler82]

Well now I wanna play it. Do you feel like Superman?

[@ruthwalters3251]

Totally agree, life afirming! Over 40 years later, it still tears me up from the overwhelming exhilarating, all encompassing, feeling of being Full of the music.❤❤

[@BrookesPolyphonics]

i know your comment is 10 years old but...i wish i felt the joy of performing this piece. I was in my second semester of grad school and rehearsing to play the English horn part with the university orchestra in early 2020.....Covid took away my chance to perform this solo, and I crave another chance. Maybe one day, but until then, I listen to this movement on repeat :(

[@johnm9978]

I was in Rome last week on my honeymoon, and so many times I thought about playing this in my college wind ensemble. It was the soundtrack in my head half the time, and it was amazing to connect that feeling of playing this music to being in Rome, looking at the beautiful surroundings, including the pines. A feeling I won't soon forget.

[@kevinhong2166]

My favorite parts are when he solemnly takes the baton into his two hands and starts shaking it like no tomorrow and when he stabs the air. PRICELESS.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Kevin Hong I like when he does the push thing. It is just hilarious.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Apparently that particular move is known as the shopping cart.

[@Fooleish]

I thought he was gonna snap it in two like Bugs Bunny

[@madscout96]

My man grabbed the handlebars and was hanging on for dear life.

[@sponge917]

I happen to be a conductor myself, so there's no need to patronize me. A good conductor knows when to keep time and when to lead the orchestra in an expressive manner. In this case, the timpanist's relentless eighth notes is all that is needed to keep time and the conductor's job is to draw out the sound he wants by whatever means necessary. And damn it if he didn't help the musicians create the best performance of this piece that I've ever heard! His conducting is glorious.

[@todw5508]

Somewhere on YT is a vid of Ravel's Bolero non-conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, who brings new meaning to "minimalist." Try here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJ2ydXWNis9rY9U

[@cynthiatalavera5027]

Absolutely the best interpretation I've heard! So glad I found this again.

[@gcg8187]

Obviously

[@Artegalatus]

I believe it's one of the most beautiful rendition of this piece. I've heard dozens of them and this is by far the most coloured, nuanced and explosive of all. Prêtre is a genius, and his eccentric conducting is clearly a part of his talent. I'll always remember him dancing a little while conducting the Radetzky March during the NYE concert, this makes him incredible. Each conductor had a "patte" ; Bumpy-Bernstein, Karajan, eyes shut ; Furtwängler and his left hand and so on...

[@anthonyat2401]

It's about the best performance of ANY piece I have ever seen. Pretre was immaculate. I've been trying to get my hands on the DVD for two years now!

[@Tools240]

Not many people know that the Pines of Rome is a symphonic poem about the life of a Roman man. To quote Charles Langar, he says "The first movement represents the boy playing in a village, then to him being forced into monastic life in the 2nd movement. The third movement is about his love for a girl who he cannot marry, because of his forced military service in the Roman legions. The fourth movement is about the man marching back to Rome via the Appian Way, the first portion of the movement is the grimace of enemies slain, slaves tortured, men and women slaughtered by the numerous Roman armies that have come and gone. The call sounded by the 1st Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, and Bass Trombone is a call from a distant legion, approaching Rome, with our main character in their ranks- the responding call comes from the plains surrounding the Appian way, possibly a neighboring legion signaling that Rome is nearby. As time progresses, the army approaches Rome, bringing with them captured slaves, weapons, valuables, women, and other spoils of war, and as the army marches to the capitol hill, the man who was once a small boy playing in the Villa Borghese is again reunited with his lover"

[@sponge917]

This is fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

[@sumoslap1973]

What I love about music. This is why this is one of my favorite compositions of all time. Music is a voice. I always like to utter the same lines in Young man with a horn, music is a voice, that not many people can understand at all. Guess it goes to show. Creativity is a part of the human mind. Whether you be a visual art fanatic or the sensation of sound. My father was a painter, sculptor and framer. I love blue note bebop and modal jazz old outlaw country, 80s house music, 90s r&b music. But the genre that got me all started with the love of music is modern classical.

[@wcstflyer]

It's highly unlikely that Ottorino Respighi gave a thought to the misogyny, oppression and violence caused by the ancient Roman legions when composing the greatest, most overpowering finale in symphonic literature.

[@lindajohnson4204]

@@wcstflyer "Miss Jean Brodie" didn't give it much thought! But Respighi put the slaves being marched into Rome, in his own composition, and you care, or else you don't, or else you are divided in your own heart, and troubled by it. "Miss Brodie" only acknowledged the thrill of being carried away by the passion and "nobility" of the cause, in the hands of the great man. The appeal of this is so much like that of _Thus Spracht Zarathustra._ And they both have that triumphant, whole octave thing; both are about pittiless conquest being the most important thing in the world, which it certainly was to imperial Rome, and to some other movements closer to and in our own time. I just think Respighi is aware of this, and probably intended to make the moral conflict part of the experience. It just depends on the importance you give to those slaves, relative to the exciting feeling of conquest.

[@lindajohnson4204]

@@lpagano77 The slaves and other cruelties are part of "glorious" history, that of imperial Rome and other peoples and their times.

[@fluffiestbiscuit]

playing this piece is the best feeling in the world

[@jrich78759]

I completely agree.

[@jwhaler82]

Oh yeah!

[@toAdmiller]

This piece is the reason for a symphonic orchestra to exist

[@richardwilliams473]

This conductor DEMANDS perfection from his orchestra and he got it BIG TIME !!!

[@havokmusicinc]

Just played this in my college's wind ensemble less than an hour ago. My heart is still racing. The bass bone part is just incredible.

[@PacRimJim]

Wow! THAT is tutti crescendo. My hair is standing on end. I can feel the power of a Roman legion marching down the Appian Way. Interesting side note about the conductor, Georges Prêtre: His interests include riding, swimming, aviation, judo, and karate (Wikipedia). So you know he gets exactly what he wants from an orchestra.

[@johnkennedy8836]

This what music making is all about! Bringing the notes off the paper and into the hearts and minds of the audience. The conductor became the Roman General leading his warriors towards the spoils of war. What a performance and what a finish!!!! Bravo!!!!!

[@stanastan977]

Perfect musicians and perfect conductor. Conducting by facial expressions is near brilliance.

[@keemez]

And pointless

[@julian_spags]

4:49 should be the thumbnail for this video

[@michaelmcnamara7602]

Absolutely!

[@sharonwatson1055]

@@michaelmcnamara7602 Are you the same Mike McNamara my family knew growing up in Puyallup? Small world.

[@fortepiano4491]

My high school got a new bass drum this past March (how fitting), so we played this piece as a final salute to it, and the director said to our percussionist, on the day of the concert, for the final bass drum hit, smash it so hard it tears. Have you ever heard a bass drum tear? It was anti-climactic at first, but then the echo hit us like a brick wall. Nevertheless, chills for a solid 3 minutes.

[@sponge917]

I wish I knew what that sounded like! Sounds like quite the thing to witness!

[@fortepiano4491]

You don't witness it. It witnesses you.

[@ChristianPaulson-Music]

Dr. Tim Mahr, Director of Bands at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, was our student teacher in Austin, Mn. He was way into synthesizers back in 1980. Our big final concert featured him conducting his arrangement of Also Sprach. I played timpani. He had me using wood mallets and told me to hit the timpani so hard during the solo they would bounce off the floor. It was very reminiscent of this timpani player pounding on them. A few years later, Dr. Weston Noble had me hammer them hard too in The Hallelujah Chorus. "Heaven's a long way away. Don't let the Angel's trumpets cover you up." Good times.

[@ds12367997]

Played this song in my high school district's honor band say 9 years ago. I was first chair trumpet and every time I listen to this again I just remember how awesome band was and trumpets rule!

[@FreedomTrooper89]

By far one of my favorite pieces of music of all time. This has to be the best rendition of Movement IV, Pines of the Appian Way I have ever heard, you can tell from the body language of the orchestra and the composer that they were all really into the spirit of this piece. Despite the original meaning and intent of this piece of musical heaven, Every time I hear it, I always imagine the Apollo XI mission, from launch to landing, the Journey of American astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, bringing Humanity to ultimate achievement in the cosmos, putting the first humans on another celestial body! That is what is so specular about music, its the ability of us being able to weave our own stories around it with or despite what it was written for.

[@cynthiatalavera5027]

I agree. The best rendition ever. Need to copy before it gets taken off again.

[@blythemyfriendblythe5870]

yeah i saw that conductor come scarily close to just snapping his baton. can't blame him though...

[@Sentinel07]

I played second trumpet (out of 2) of a different orchestration of this about a year ago, being able to play the triumphant and heroic melody at the end was hands-down one of the best moments of my musical career so far

[@michaelmcclary8054]

I played this piece in the Chicago Chamber Orchestra. Percussion section made "Marching Machines"-Michael McClary, Professor of Trumpet 🎺, Georgia Perimeter College and GSU

[@windstorm1000]

I love the trumpets in this work--so freeing, brilliant, soaring.

[@wcip1Angel]

Thanks for re-uploading this. I thought I'd never hear and see this version again after it was removed from KZbin a couple of weeks back. :) This is by far the best version available on KZbin. Conductor is absolutely insane. :)

[@cynthiatalavera5027]

Love the conductor!!!! He is living it!

[@jochanaan58]

Georges Prêtre gets the tempo just right! Too many conductors rush this march, but the Legions here march in good order. He was an underappreciated *Maître*.

[@yishiliu1381]

My music teacher recommended it to us. This is absolutely amazing! I have nothing else to say.

[@cristianogiustozziarchitet9846]

RIP Georges! Che il tuo arrivo nell'Olimpo dei musicisti sia accompagnato da questa composizione.

[@sponge917]

So sad to learn that he has died. ""At times he could seem to bristle at the idea that he was a conductor, preferring to think of himself as an interpreter who went beyond merely beating time as he struggled to bring music to life. The results could be erratic - sometimes puzzling critics and even the players who tried to follow him - but also included many electrifying, memorable performances."" - NYTimes obituary www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/arts/music/georges-pretre-french-conductor-known-for-improvisation-dies-at-92.html

[@scottkirby8204]

Wow! Goosebump time. A thrilling performance. My favorite has always been Lorin Maazel with the Cleveland Orchestra, but this one is also top drawer. Thanks for posting it!

[@crazygrainger2006]

Morning operations at YSSY, as the sun rises from the sea. 4:13. An Airbus A380 is cleared to enter Runway 34L, ready for takeoff. 4:29. The A380 starts its take off roll. It has to clear the runway to make way for incoming traffic - A Boeing 747 on final approach. 4:45 The A380 is airborne, and flies its route as it clears the departure area. 5:02 The B747 is on short final, as it glides over the Runway Threshold. 5:18 B747 flares its nose for a gentle touchdown. 5:20. The Boeing 747 butters the landing - Main landing gear touches the runway. 5:23. Four in reverse, spoilers deployed. 4:29 from this actual recording/performance is my ringtone.

[@amariasanchez]

I recently found this. I get chills. It is 90 degrees here.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

I played this piece for the closer of my marching band show my freshman year of high school. I still feel the euphoria of those days when I listen to this.

[@Kntrabssi]

5:19 how in the hell do you follow any of this?

[@michaele.stovall6364]

😂😂😂

[@SoundsandScenes-gw1kw]

I agree with you. Most of the other versions on KZbin begin too loud. There is a version that starts too loud but makes up for it at the end. The entire floor of the stadium is ringed with brass players who put so much into it. WOW!! What a sound. There is an extra for me. My soul mate is overcome and wiping her eyes at 3:11. It happens to me every time I listen to this music. Search for "Pini di Roma - Andre Rieu". Time is 5:02.

[@irfanimp]

No composer, including John Williams and Alan Sylvestri, could achieve the impressive evocative power of the final section,5:01 which brings the novel completely before our eyes in this episode!. Magnificent!...

[@TubbyNation]

this conductor is awesome XD

[@keemez]

Awesomely idiotic. Ridiculous unfollowable posturing and nothing more.

[@sponge917]

+Keem Osabe I don't know if that's for us to judge - the orchestra sounds incredible so he must have been doing something right!

[@keemez]

It's for any consummate musician to judge. The amount of rehearsal time put in before a public performance is such that the players really don't even need a conductor- they're finely tuned to each other.

[@sponge917]

I completely disagree with the idea that the conductor is superfluous to the orchestra. There have been actual scientific studies done on this: www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2012/11/27/165677915/do-orchestras-really-need-conductors

[@keemez]

Read several of the comments (numerous ones by actual musicians) below that article (what a bunch of libspeak) and you'll see a lot of what I mentioned above. Top level orchestra members know what the music is already supposed to sound like. The conductor might add a little flare of this or that, but by and large it's simply a coat of wax on an already spotless vehicle. And in many cases, there are major swirl marks evident postbuff.

[@Neobarone]

A superlative performance without one second of weakness, as Respighi had intended. I have CDs of this but none that builds to the crescendo so well. You can feel the power of the Roman legions returning home on the Appian Way after conquering the world.

[@cynthiatalavera5027]

I agree

[@mmmoroi]

This movement must serve as an excellent back ground score for any film featuring a grand fleet in progress right before the dawn breaks, about to conduct a massive invasion to unleash hell.

[@brianwells2380]

What an astounding piece of music!

[@porkyfry]

Can someone explain what the conductors gestures at 4:25 up through 4:28 mean? Does that mean he wants the orchestra to perform the heimlich maneuever, followed by the pumped of a well?

[@keemez]

Haha. No doubt. Ridiculous.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Jeff F Conductors are funny people. That is why there is a bar on the back of the stand thing they have.

[@ecphorizer]

MicrowaveGamer That stand thing is a podium. 😇

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

@@ecphorizer I thought podiums were the things that had microphones. Oh well.

[@todw5508]

@@MicrowavedAlastair5390 Those are lecturns. However, language is always evolving and changing such that these days nobody uses ""lecturn," so podium now is quite common. Also, podium is still the word for platforms where conductors row their boats.

[@mcas1937]

Such an amazing version of this piece. I personally think it's superior to the Toscanini as I find this version much better paced. I find that the Toscanini is to fast and so doesn't sound so much as a legion returning, but rather a series of competing sounds. Where as this, with the proper march tempo and the way that Pretre conducts this piece, it makes it, even on youtube through headphones, a emotionally charged piece. Every time I listen to this, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

[@ecphorizer]

4:29 - boy, that bass drum player is sure working up a sweat. What a windup for each beat.

[@richardwilliams473]

I like the way the conductor grips his baton with both hands as if rowing a boat !!!!

[@mastopakya]

I can't help myself. I watch this over and over and over!

[@Neobarone]

It brings home like no other work of art the glory that was Rome.

[@bucksix1]

The Roman army is returning home, victorious but worn out. Their uniforms are torn and dirty. Their brass is dull and a disgrace. The lines of the soldiers are crooked and out of step. Faces are unshaven and filthy. But as they sight Rome, the uniforms become clean and in perfect condition. The marching is precise. Faces are shaven. Brass begins to sparkle. The Roman army is returning home. To me this composition is the definition of a tone poem. The first time I ever heard this was a live performance. I know it can't be true, but I feel as if I held my breath the entire time. I have had many people tell me that they are envious of me because of that. When ever I want to introduce someone to classical music I use this.

[@JamesonZaballos]

Goosebumps....

[@Awesomethunder16]

Beginning of video: Bang bang bang bang bang End of video: BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

[@paulalexander2928]

Every time I hear this movement it makes me think of what it depicts . A column of legionaries with the standard bearers with the legion numeral and the script SPQR at the front,soldiers with pilums over their shoulders caring oblong shields marching with the tread that conquered the known world. Hail Caesar !!!!!!

[@imatifoso2782]

What you hear in that ever-present beat is not the army but the tread of the slaves being forced to Rome to build the city.

[@sponge917]

+Ima Tifoso - Perspective I had not considered before, but undeniably truthful. Thanks for sharing.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

I admit these are both compelling images, but I think of the citizens of New York City. This was the piece arranged for the closer of my high school band's marching show (A New York Portrait) my freshman year. It was what introduced my to this piece of music.

[@lindajohnson4204]

I need a "shedding tears" emoticon. The drums underlying it all: the soldiers, or the slaves being matched into Rome?

[@heidiclaire]

I want to like this five million times. Such a relentless march, and such a satisfying resolution! I will forever love this piece (and silently wish it was choral)

[@AIPThePharaoh]

treasure of humanity:) wonderful, magnificent !!! BRAVO!!!

[@podiumman2]

Pretre is one of my favorite conductors. Too bad he didn't do more recordings of orchestral works. This was one of the most overwhelming renditions I've ever heard/

[@juliemachnik608]

I love "Pines of Rome." I get chills at 2:18

[@channguyen6781]

Thanks Twoset Violin for bringing me here! :D

[@ThePhantomThylacine]

I know what the song was/is really about, but when I first heard this song, I imagined getting lost in a deep, dark pine forest in the beginning, and as you walk along, it's dark and menacing, but around 2:18 you see some glimmers of light through the trees. but then around 3:25 you emerge into the light, and see a beautiful landscape of hills, cliffs, forests, and valleys for miles and miles around.....that's what I picture when I hear this song.

[@agenttexx]

I played this piece in college, playing Bari Sax. Having played several instruments at the time, I played Bari Sax and Bass Clarinet that semester. I really wanted to play the Trombone part but was needed on Woodwinds.

[@Jadama0]

Thanks for re uploading!! I was afraid! O.o Such a great piece.

[@anthonymartinez4892]

When I hear this I close my eyes and see the Roman Legions marching along the Via Appia, SPQR!!!

[@jwhaler82]

I close my eyes and I see a group of Roman soldiers gearing up for war… Or, alternatively, I see the Portal scene from Avengers: Endgame.

[@jwhaler82]

Dude, I have chills!

[@Just_lift_anyone]

Imagine seeing a legion of Roman soldiers (about 4,000+ men) marching, getting closer and closer and you really get an idea of what this is about. 3:26 the key change is so epic!

[@pascal1530]

The mostwonderful piece of music I have heard, I could just picture thr roman legions coming back along the Appian Way in victory after battle,WOW

[@ColorFace1116]

Finest version of this piece I can find.

[@berorocao]

The best version of this movement, ever! Tks a lot!

[@atlantamx3]

THE BEST version of this I've ever heard. Outstanding!

[@prestonprior2269]

Anyone heard a better version than this one here on KZbin? There's other 'bigger' named orchestras on here doing it but this one captures the emotional core of the piece/movement perfectly.

[@andythenerd3527]

3: 57 when everything starts to go up...amazing.

[@marochima2]

even if i watch this 100 times, i will still be amazed. i love it!

[@verstengenericks]

This video is amazing to me -- because of the grandeur and power of the music but also because of the drama of the conductor's movements and affects...I think, one of the most wonderful videos on KZbin :^)

[@黒浦俊之]

I think this is the best movie in You Tube. I won't forget the time I watched this for the first time.

[@markpmar0356]

If you think Pretre is being an "exhibitionist" in this performance, you've never seen Bernstein conduct. I believe Pretre is simply reacting to the emotional content of the piece, which is quite immersive. Oddly, we musicians must learn to keep our emotions in check when we play lest we express those emotions instead of the music itself, where the emotional impetus is located. By the way, a good conductor is much more than a metronome. Conveying emotional intent is good conducting.

[@shin-i-chikozima]

The heroic and solemn melody of the pines of Via Appia are outclassing The depths of my emotion is immeasurable

[@alotosnit]

Thank you very much. For me its probably best performance of Pines of Rome I´ve ever heard. Intense, exact, strong... I hope someone post again all four pieces together...

[@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts]

Amazing, thank you for doing this. God bless you and your music.

[@andrewnguyen1220]

Pines of the Appian way is just the greatest ending of the year

[@bellaapodaca380]

It's so beautiful 😢😢😊😁😊

[@cinemabon]

If you ever go to Italy and see the Appian Way, you can picture in your mind the Roman Army marching into Rome, framed with rows of Cypress trees, the flags waving in the breeze, and the Appian Way lined with throngs of Romans cheering the conquering heroes returning home after many years absence. Spectacle indeed.

[@a-project-96]

восхитительно...

[@cheezwizatthedisco7144]

in a sea of old men those two bassoons are beautiful

[@ruiwang3694]

Pretre will be remembered through this masterpiece!

[@1954JDR]

That was absolutely magnificent.

[@RheaBorja]

WOW! Really impressive.

[@GabeLane612]

(2/2) And there's absolutely no way his conducting "hurt" the performance. This is hands down the most emotional, expressive recording of Pines of Rome I've ever heard. There's nothing wrong with critiquing music from a critical perspective, but calling Georges Prêtre's conducting "preposterous" and "stupid" is a rabid, unnecessary way to express one's opinion. Especially over the beautiful works of Respighi of all topics. For the record, I am a musician myself.

[@buckyjames1898]

We're playing this in my school band, and my director has a great idea of this. He says that the low people with the steady parts are the roman army, and the main melody is like their heroic thoughts while they're returning home

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

Connor Buckley because band directors.

[@vincentpollemans]

This is the best version there is on KZbin!

[@scifisoren]

If I were in an orchestra of this caliber and maestro started gritting his teeth during the most awesome crescendo, I'd probably smile and play harder. I think people are missing that it's more of a "Hell yeah!" moment than a "What the hell?!" one. Prêtre isn't driving the bus in tempo, but you can see in his eyes where he hears a legion of soldiers marching home in victory.

[@mrbenoit5018]

scifisoren he's not supposed to be driving the bus in tempo.

[@emptynestingdad1]

so moving I cried

[@cucubirds4298]

I play in the wind symphony of an orchestra with a bunch of ensembles, including an orchestra and only strings orchestra. Us and those 2 will be combining. To play this and I am super excited :))) it sounds so cool with just 2/3 ensembles

[@alabalaportocala29]

I don`t like the part after 5:41

[@mrbenoit5018]

Iustin Hâncu or before 0:00

[@spiritandfire1829]

Best interpretation of this movement I’ve ever heard!

[@WarriorOfWriters]

That was fucking amazing. It had my heart pounding.

[@annakimborahpa]

Georges has turned this Mercedes-Benz of an orchestra into his own Pretre dish.

[@daveenyart]

magnificent

[@Arghira]

I'm glad to find this again thx

[@danmacneil1895]

In my world the returning fleet basking in victory

[@Larry6990]

Finally some sense out of someone. Thank you sir!

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

This may have originally been the ending to a piece about a Roman soldier, but that's not what it means to me. I've mentioned in this video's comments before that it was part of my freshman marching show. Our show was entitled "A New York Portrait", and this was the final piece adapted for it. The section preceding this piece was a memorial for those who died in the attacks on the towers on 9/11, one of whom was an alumni from our school here in the Midwest. Jennifer Dorsey-Howley, beloved by all who knew her. I will never know for certain, but I believe that this piece was specifically chosen for its sense of triumph, though we were told it was a depiction of tourists being awed by New York's skyscrapers. To me, this piece is a celebration of the human spirit over immeasurable tragedy, the perseverance of those who do good, and the determination to continue despite being beaten and broken.

[@lindajohnson4204]

I believe that it was based on the actual history of Rome, and the Appian way, but interestingly, in some WWII movie made in the late 1960s, I don't remember which one, it was used as the theme for the Allies, the good guys, not the fascists like Hitler and Mussolini. So I think this is along the lines of what you are saying. I suspect that the makers of that movie wanted to show power ending up in the hands of the anti-fascists, and that in the hands of the Allies, power was well placed and safe for all: the good guys win. But the danger is always in having too much confidence in your own righteousness and incorruptibility, that you cannot be corrupted and become the thing you once hated. It may not be power, or even absolute power, that corrupts, but that thing in the human heart doesn't handle success very well. Pride goeth before a fall.

[@tandycampbell]

Absolutely freaking awesome.

[@tartamimmi]

Chills minute 3:20...

[@juancarlosdelgadillo9877]

I can feel the power through my veins 💪🏻

[@jwhaler82]

2:18 It suddenly becomes the Superman theme.

[@Grace-wh8ky]

2:26 when you realize at 10:30 pm that you forgot to do a homework assignment

[@ThePedro1233]

Wonderful