Rossini Overtures

The late conductor Claudio Abbado had a real flair for Rossini's music, and it shows on this nicely priced CD from Deutsche Grammophon's Virtuoso line. While the first six tracks were recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra in the analog recording era, they are brilliantly remastered here. And the last track, recorded with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in 1991, is a nice, sparkling rendition of the Guillaume Tell overture. Worth every penny!

I appreciate the precise execution and performance of the overtures. Not too fast.

Simply the best recordings of Rossini Overtures ever made.

just what i wanted

Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic's ROSSINI: OUVERTÜREN (2530 144) was released by DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON in 1971. Back cover liner notes on this imported LP are in German, English and French. Excerpts of this set's "Thieving Magpie" and "William Tell" were used by Stanley Kubrick as music track in his adaptation of the Anthony Burgess novella, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971).In his youth Gioachino Rossini was a compositional genius with perhaps only a single equal: Mozart was as gifted at such an age. When Rossini was 24 he wrote his most famous opera, "The Barber of Seville" in just TWO WEEKS! "Barber" is now considered the last pure "opera buffa," and this genre's finest example. "Thieving Magpie," a grand opera of the light variety, came a year later. Rossini called "Semiramide," his 34th opera and last written in Italy, a "melodrama tragico." Four hours in length, it took him 33 days to complete. After "Semiramide" wasn't hailed as a success, Rossini and his recent bride relocated to Paris. Six years later, the grand finale of his career, "William Tell," debuted at the Paris Opera House. Somewhat overblown and heroic, it was the world's first "political" opera and this magnificent composer's farewell to music. Rossini retired at age 37 to a life of ease and "gastronomic delights" (from liner notes).Born Heribert, Ritter von Karajan in 1908, Herbert von Karajan was primary conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 35 years. Like showman organist Virgil Fox, Karajan had his admirers and detractors. ( I think he's the greatest to ever raise a baton!) At the time of his 1989 death, Karajan was the top-selling classical artist of all time, with over 200 million units to his credit. Although critics railed against his intentional score alterations, stylistic interpretations and supposedly "pre-fabricated" sound, that amazing sales figure speaks for itself.Most controversial is Karajan's 1933 Nazi Party membership, prior to that political movement's banning in his native Austria. It's also believed that he joined to advance his career. While other coductors sch as Toscannini and Klemperer left Europe during those turbulent years, Karajan stayed and was permitted to travel outside the Nazi sphere of infuence, to give concerts and make recordings. Note that he never collected his party card or paid dues and there's questions about the validity of that membership.Not in question however are the remarkable Berlin Phil performances on "Ouvertüren." This single LP made me a Karajan fan forever; it's been a favorite for over 40 years. I cannot recommend it too highly!SIDE ONE[9:52] Die Diebische Elster (La Gazza Ladra) The Thieving Magpie - La Pie Voleuse[5:57] Die Seidene Leiter (La Scala De Seta) The Silken Ladder - L'echelle De Soie[12:04] Semiramis (Semiramide)SIDE TWO[7:21] Der Barbier von Sevilla (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) The Barber of Seville - Le Barbier de Seville[8:28] Die Italienerin in Algier (L'Italiana in Algeri) An Italian in Algiers - L'Italienne a Alger[11:56] Wilhelm Tell (Guillaume Tell) William TellTOTAL TIME: 55:38

The overtures from Rossini's many operas have been recorded very frequently, and there are quite a few discs available, all with different selections included. When I obtained this CD back in the early '90's, it had received Gramophone's highest recommendation - their review said that "the recording is as vivid as the music. This is a disc to bring a smile to the lips and make you appreciate life". I have enjoyed it since that time - the performances are energetic and the recording quality is excellent.Overtures included in this disc are:- La sala di seta- Il signor Bruschino- L'Italiana in Algieri- Il barbiere di Siviglia- La gazza ladra- Semiramide- Guillaume TellMy other recording of Rossini's overtures is Rossini: Overtures, with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performing a different selection of overtures, another very enjoyable disc (overtures included in that disc are: Tancredi, L 'Italiana in Algeri, L 'inganno felice, La scala di seta, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Il Signor Bruschino, La cambia di matrimony, Il Turco in Italia). This was also a Gramophone recommendation and is also in the 2008 Penguin guide as a recommended CD.As a final alternative for consideration, Rossini: Complete Overtures includes all of Rossini's overtures, with Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. This is a 3 CD collection and if you want to get everything, it is probably the best choice, being the current Penguin recommendation and having it all together and with very fine performances and recording quality.-----------------------Added Notes 4/12/15:I've just realized that this recording is listed on Amazon multiple times (not unusual). I'm therefore adding to this review the links to the various listings on Amazon, since each will have sellers offering this recording for different prices, to make it a bit easier for locating the best price for this recording:- Rossini: Overtures (the listing where my review was first posted on 4/23/13)- Rossini: Overtures- ROSSINI: OVERTURES(24bit) (sellers all in Japan, recording may be a higher quality digital version?)- Rossini: Overtures- Rossini - Overtures / London Classical Players · Sir Roger Norrington

Six overtures recorded in the years 1972-75. The Barbiere and Cenerentola are extracted from the complete operas recordings.Abbado uses the critical editions prepared by Alberto Zedda after an extensive work of research and study of the original Rossini manuscripts.The result is miles far from the versions Karajan recorded in 1970 with the Berliner Philharmoniker.Here the orchestra is reduced and produces well-defined, light and highly transparent sound. Winds are prominent and clear.More massive sound is in the Siège de Corinthe: because it is a later Rossini Opus: the manuscript is more refined and orchestration more clever than in the earlier overtures (often written down in a hurry, shortly before the premieres of the operas and so quite imprecise and approximate).Abbado's conducting is very well calculated but offers a joyful and spontaneous interpretation of this music. And I find it more convincing then the Neville Marriner/Philips versions.An outstanding cd (although only 47 minutes long).Stereo ADD

Excelente

El pero... , que estuvo a punto de bajarle una estrella, es que Abbado, siendo italiano como Rosssini ejecuta buenas versiones, pero... y ahí está el "pero" carecen de chispa, sin malicia, sin el lado juguetón del autor. Por lo tanto, quien las adquiera no se sentirá decepcionado, buenas grabaciones, buen sonido, orquestas impolutas, pero... Abbado un poco aburrido.

Sehr schöne CD!

Having purchased 4 CD's of Rossini Overtures over the last few years and listened to many others too. I have arrived at the conclusion that Claudio Abbado understands and interprets Rossini's music like no other composer. These are the performances I always come back too. For me Rossini was a genius for inventive melody. Evidence of that genius is represented here. Not least in La Gazza Ladra and Guillaume Tell. However, if he excelled in the measure of his inventive melodies he outshone all others in my opinion in his inventive rhythms and pace and how he married those to melody. To my mind classical music was changed forever by his genius for matching unusual rythmes to almost impossible melodies. At his best, I do not think he has been surpassed in this discipline. If he had only written the passage of the thieving magpie for instance i feel sure Rossini would still be remembered to this day and would still have influenced other great composers.This CD is all about the performance really and the performances here would no doubt please the composer I am sure. The recording is very good in that it has very good dynamics and resolution. It allows me to forget the recording process and enjoy the performances.The grand total of Rossini's body of work may not approach that of other great composers but Rossini was a true great and to my mind Abbado shows us why.

(precisazione aggiunta dopo 3 anni: la mia recensione fu inviata in relazione al cd Rossini/Overtures diretto da Riccardo Muti: specifico perchè ho trovato la mia recensione collegata ad un disco di Claudio Abbado che non è in mio possesso. Da qui in poi riporto inalterata la mia recensione del 2016).Non ho le competenze per recensire musica classica, ma ciò detto "oso" comunque. A mio avviso questo non è un disco di Overtures di Rossini: è IL DISCO delle Overtures di Rossini. Il maestro Muti calca la mano, l'orchestra viaggia forte sia come dinamiche che come ritmo, l'ascolto dà adrenalina che neanche l'heavy metal. SIGNORI DELLA EMI! SO CHE MI ASCOLTATE! (?) RISTAMPATE QUESTO CAPOLAVORO! Posso suggerire anche come: in vinile naturalmente! ma su doppio!! Ne ho ben tre edizioni (una proveniente dalla Russia, etichetta "Eterna"..?) di cui una soltanto è esente dal fenomeno del pre-eco distorto: le dinamiche sono troppo elevate! Doppio vinile, 45 giri e attenzione alla modulazione. Non avvicinatevi troppo al centro del disco. Bella etichetta vintage col cane o con l'angioletto... e via. Lo compro subito. Volendo fare le cose complete... un triplo. Il terzo vinile potrebbe contenere lo stesso programma con dinamica ridotta, per un ascolto più tranquillo senza dover continuamente agire sulla manopola del volume.