I can hardly recall when I first heard any of these pieces, but only three of them in public performances: Mendelssohn’s concert overture—in reality a compact tone poem, and Mozart’s Figaro and Rossini’s Barber (a younger Figaro) before the curtain went up on their complete operas. Modern American symphony orchestras generally do not program them, and more’s the pity. But that means all the more pleasure for the serious record collector who is not ashamed to be caught listening to music with charming melodies, inventive scoring, abundant good humor, and plenty of excitement.

Robert McColley, FANFARE