Notes and Editorial Reviews
This series continues with an appealing mix of familiar and unfamiliar works, all of which are well worth getting to know. Perhaps the least-known piece is the very early Grand’overtura ‘obbligata a contrabasso’. Even in a work of his student days, Rossini reveals himself as an irresistibly charming melodist with a gift for colorful scoring. The overtures to La Cenerentola, L’Italiana in Algeri, and Tacredi are deservedly popular, while those to Maometto II, Matilde di Shabran, and La cambiale de matrimonio have plenty of interesting and enjoyable music that should endear them to music lovers.
As in previous issues in this series, the performances are very good. The overture to L’Italiana offers a good place to start, with its
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impressively unified ensemble and athletic dialogue between sections. Rhythms are consistently crisp and clean, tempos lively, and the balances favor those delightful Czech woodwinds. Indeed, given the small size of the ensemble it might have been better if the engineers had backed off a bit. The flutes in particular sound a bit too “windy”, but this is a small quibble when the conducting is so consistently alert. If you’ve been collecting this series, don’t hesitate for a moment before getting this latest release.
-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
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Works on This Recording
1.
Tancredi: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1813; Italy
2.
Mathilda di Shabran: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1821; Italy
3.
Maometto secondo: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1820; Italy
4.
La Cenerentola: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Written: 1817
5.
La cambiale di matrimonio: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1810; Italy
6.
L'italiana in Algeri: Overture by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: 1813; Italy
7.
Grand'overtura obbligata a contrabbasso in D major by Gioachino Rossini
Conductor:
Christian Benda
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Prague Sinfonia
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1809; Italy
Sound Samples
Maometto secondo (1822 Venice version): Maometto secondo, Act I: Sinfonia (1822 Venice version)
L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers): Sinfonia
La Cenerentola (Cinderella): Overture
Grand'overtura obbligata a contrabbasso
Matilde di Shabran, ossia Bellezza, e cuor di ferro: Overture
La cambiale di matrimonio: Overture
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