Like the other three volumes, this Daniel-François-Esprit Auber release delights. Kudos to Dario Salvi for some innovative programming. Volume Four features three opera overtures, plus an unusual orchestral work. Most of these receive their world premiere recordings here. Fra Diavolo is Auber’s best-known (and most recorded) work. Dario Salvi’s interpretation of the overture compares favorably against […]
Naxos
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Salvatore Di Vittorio release not up to par
To me, this release is something of a puzzle. We have a composer conducting the orchestra he founded in a program of his own works. I enjoyed Salvatore Di Vittorio and the Chamber Orchestra of New York before. Their Respighi release is a knockout. But not this. The compositions are fine. They’re well-constructed. Di Vittorio, […]
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Michael Haydn Choral Works hold their own
Let’s be clear. Michael Haydn was not a bad composer. He was a very good one. Just not as great as his brother, Franz Joseph. But even Franz Joseph thought Michael was the better choral composer of the two. This album helps make that case with a set of unusual works. All three compositions are […]
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Johann Mayr Messa di Gloria – forgotten, but not forgettable
If maestro Frank Hauk had his way, Johann Simon Mayr would be known for more than just being Gaetano Donizetti’s music teacher. Mayr, in his day, was a major figure. He wrote 19 masses, 57 symphonies, over 70 operas — most of which are now all but forgotten. Is Mayr’s music forgettable? Hauk would disagree. […]
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Paul Wranitzky Orchestral Works worth a listen
Sure — Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were the major figures in 1800s Vienna. But they were the only ones. Vienna was the center of the musical world, and talent came from all over. Like Paul Wranitzky from Moravia. He and his brother Anton found fame and fortune in Vienna. In the 1790s he contacted both […]
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New release celebrates individual voice of Elisabetta Brusa
This installment in Naxos’ series features two works by Elisabetta Brusa: her second symphony, and “Simply Largo.” These are the same performers that recorded her first symphony in Volume Three, and the quality remains high. The Ulster Orchestra has a full yet open ensemble sound. The soloists (if not great) are very good, and Daniele […]
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John Abraham Fisher Symphonies have plenty of hooks
John Abraham Fisher was all the rage in 18th Century London. He was a violin virtuoso with a streak of showmanship. By his thirties had a share in the Covent Garden Theatre, a hit oratorio making the rounds, and concertized frequently to great admiration (among the public, if not the critics). His six symphonies were […]
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Leo Weiner Divertimentos more than diverting
Hungarian composer and teacher Leo Weiner was a contemporary of Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. Like his colleagues, he used elements of Hungarian folk music in his work. Where he differed was in his style. Weiner’s music is more conservative, and solidly in the Post-Romantic tradition. This volume includes an assortment of orchestral works by […]
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Eivind Groven Symphonies solidly Norwegian
Norwegian composer Eivind Groven had a unique compositional voice. It was informed by his intimate knowledge of Norwegian folk music and folk instruments. Groven came from a family of folk musicians and was an accomplished Hardanger fiddle player. While similar to a violin, there are many differences. These differences form the basis of the music […]