Rossini’s opera overtures have always enjoyed a life away from the opera house and in the concert hall. For sheer sparkle and excitement they have few rivals, and for many people who have not heard the operas they were intended for, they nonetheless have become firm favourites. Who does not know the famous tune in the William Tell overture?
Rossini’s operas dominated the European stage in the early 19th century, and won him many admirers among fellow composers. Franz Schubert was among those who came under the Italian’s spell, writing overtures in the Italian style, and Rossini’s influence can be detected in the Austrian’s earlier symphonies.
On this CD are the overtures to La Gazza Ladra, La Scala di Seta, Il Signor Bruschino, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Il Turco in Italia, L’Italiana in Algeri, Semiramide and Guillaume Tell.
