One thing I like about Dario Salvi’s Auber series is the variety. Yes, This release’s title is “Overtures 5.” But, like the previous volumes, it’s more than just a collection of overtures. This time the focus is on two Auber operas: Zanetta, and Zerline. Zanetta premiered in 1840. The opera’s heroine is the innocent daughter of […]
Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra
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Zdenek Fibich orchestral series ends in fine form
This is the final volume in Naxos’ series of Zdenek Fibich orchestral works. It includes the last of his three symphonies, as well as orchestral music from three of his operas. Fibich completed his third symphony in 1898, just two years before his death. The work is ambitious, with a “darkness-to-light” premise that keeps the […]
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John Robertson “Symphony No. 1” disappointing sophomore release
I enjoyed the previous Navona release of works by John Robertson. This recording features the same composer, same conductor, and the same orchestra, so I anticipated a similar experience. I was disappointed. The first disappointment was the sound of the orchestra. The ensemble sounded very thin. To my ears, the violins had a slight nasal […]
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John Robertson “Vallarta Suite” a holiday for ears
It turns out there were two composers who worked full-time in insurance. Their day jobs freed them to write the music they wanted to. But the music that American Charles Ives and Canadian John Robertson produced was very different, indeed. Ives studied music and pushed against its academic restraints. Robertson is mostly self-taught and seems simply unconcerned […]