Great Comedy Overtures
Show recording details8.573418
Release Date: April 2015
Originally recorded in 2015
Classical
Opera
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About
The flourishing genre of the comic opera had its roots in eighteenth-century Italian opera buffa, whose irrepressible brio was soon taken up outside the country’s borders. In France it produced opéra comique and operetta, and in German-speaking countries Spieloper and Viennese operetta. Some of the world’s most popular comic opera overtures, filled with gorgeous tunes, brilliant orchestration and race-to-the-finish endings, are presented here. They include staples of the concert repertoire such as Hérold’s dramatic Zampa, the textual delicacy of Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the vivid colour of Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann.
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Reviews
“…a worthwhile collection.”
“…for music like this, deliberately written to bring a smile to the face and expertly executed, will only be enhanced even further by the best possible digital engineering that brings out all its inherent sparkle. That’s certainly what it is accorded here…taking full advantage of Glasgow’s Henry Wood Hall’s fine acoustics to produce crystal-clear recordings where every instrument comes clearly through some very busy orchestral writing… American conductor Lance Friedel lavishes the greatest care and attention on pieces… The Royal Scottish National Orchestra plays expertly and with considerable panache and these playful accounts…will certainly bring a smile to all…”
“Although each of us has his favorite renditions of particular overtures these Friedel readings impress for their sonic response and clarity of execution. Sterling string response, in tandem with excellent woodwind playing, sets the tone for a potent series of readings, beginning with Herold’s Zampa! The Thomas Overture to Mignon (1866) exudes its own rarified delicacy of instrumentation and melodic charm via a polonaise, which Friedel’s strings carry with aplomb.” ****
Artistic Quality 10 Sound Quality 10
“The performances are as vibrant as the music itself. Friedel has the Royal Scottish National Orchestra playing with real brilliance and warmth. It sounds like everyone is having a good time, with crisp rhythms at the climaxes, well-balanced percussion that never becomes obnoxious, and a certain easy elegance in the many lyrical passages that the music absolutely demands. Happily, we can enjoy this generous, extremely well played and well-engineered program to remind us of times past.”
“…seconds into Hérold’s Zampa overture it’s clear [Friedel] is having a ball; after all, there’s nothing like a bit of seduction and flirtation with the supernatural to get the pulse racing. And that’s exactly what happens in this feisty overture, played here with tremendous brio and bite. The Austrian Emil von Reznicek’s buoyant overture to his 1894 opera Donna Diana gets a robust reading and the RSNO are as nimble as one could wish. The side drum is nicely caught and there’s some fine horn playing. Oh, and what a grand, grand finale. A most enjoyable confection…”
Album of the Week
“…the SNO packs a lot of music in and it’s well-balanced among French opéra comique, Viennese operetta and Italian opera buffa.”
CD of the Week
“These exuberant pieces are filled with gorgeous tunes, brilliant orchestrations, and race-to-the-finish endings. It’s great to have new recordings of these long-time hits!”
“Listen out for staples of the repertoire such as Hérold’s dramatic Zampa, the delicacy of Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the vivid colour of Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann. They’re full of sweeping melodies, dazzling orchestration and mad race to the finishing line climaxes. The RSNO is on top form under American conductor Lance Friedel on this generously filled album…”
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