Rossini: La Cenerentola Overture (Cinderella)

During the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Decca recorded a number of albums with some of its key conductors of Overtures. Many of these were singled out by the press for their terrific sound quality (the fabled ‘Decca Sound’) and for their often adventurous programming. Some of them also included entr’actes and intermezzi. Prized as collectors’ items, many of the original LPs exchange hands at high prices. And most of these reissues, in Decca Eloquence’s ‘Romantic Overtures’ series appear in CD, in part or whole, for the first time.

Romantic Overtures – Volume 2 showcases the artistry of Piero Gamba, who conducted showpieces for Decca and partnered, among others, Ruggiero Ricci as well as Julius Katchen in his magnificent cycle of the Beethoven Concertos. This 2CD set includes his very first recording for Decca, of Rossini Overtures (1955). Five years later recorded another LP of Rossini Overtures, the only common item being William Tell (the stereo recording is truly thrilling, the record as a whole one of Decca’s best kept secrets!). Both recordings are included here (and both recordings of William Tell). The Egmont Overture was originally coupled with Katchen’s recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto; and also included is all of the LP entitled ‘Adventures in Sound’ which included overtures and intermezzi by Verdi, Mascagni, Mancinelli, Martucci and Ponchielli. A real rarity is Stanley Black’s Overture to a Costume Comedy, recorded at the 1957 ‘Adventures in Sound’ sessions, but only included on a 45rpm EP in mono. This is its first release on CD and in stereo.

The great Russian conductor Igor Markevitch (1912–1983) was born in Kiev and spent his formative years in Switzerland. He studied piano with Cortot and composition with Boulanger, and from the late 1920s until 1939 he enjoyed a successful career as a composer. However, after this period he concentrated on conducting, making a sensational debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1955. He recorded with all the major orchestras, notably the Berlin Philharmonic, Philharmonia, London Symphony Orchestra and Lamoureux, and guest conducted in all the main international centres until the mid-1970s. Markevitch left a very large discography on EMI, DG and Philips.

At the height of his powers in 1960, Markevitch returned to Russia and made a great impact with his concerts with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, resulting in this vibrant live and rare recording of the Verdi Requiem which preceded the studio version (no longer available). The spontaneity of the live recording is very evident in terms of both the extremely wide dynamic range of the recording and Markevitch’s fiery conducting, which never lets up.

David Patmore has written, ‘Markevitch’s repertoire during this visit included the Verdi Requiem, then a most unusual work to encounter in Russia because of its overt religious purpose and meaning. Possibly as a result, Markevitch and his Russian forces held no inhibitions in their performance, emphasising the operatic quality of the work, and performing it more as a drama than a liturgical rite.’

The recording features a young Galina Vishnevskaya, in her prime as an outstanding dramatic soprano. The bass, Ivan Petrov (of German origin), was born in Irkutsk in 1920, becoming a stalwart of the Bolshoi company – he was considered to be one of their finest basses. The mezzo-soprano and tenor of Markevitch’s quartet, Nina Isakova and Vladimir Ivanovsky, did not achieve international fame, but their contributions on this occasion were certainly whole-hearted. Markevitch’s rapport with both chorus and orchestra was clearly close, with strong attack matched by great sensitivity from both.

The Rossini Overtures, all brilliantly played, have been sourced from a mint LP to give extra bloom to the sound.

The recording features the Ambient Mastering process to widen the sound stage and create more depth.

Peter Maag (1919-2001) was born in Switzerland to a musical family. After studies in theology and philosophy, and an early career as a pianist, he was encouraged to conduct. In that field, his mentors included Ernest Ansermet and, above all, Wilhelm Furtwängler. His success as a conductor grew throughout the late 1940s and 50s, and as early as 1950 he made his first recordings for Decca. The composer back then was Mozart, and Maag would be associated with Mozart’s music in the recording studios, concert halls and opera houses his entire life. His Decca Mozart recordings were collectors’ items and they have all now appeared on Decca Eloquence.

This 2CD set offers popular 19th-century Romantic fare, with a fairy twist. Nymphs, sylphs and fairies make up the subjects of the Mendelssohn, Chopin and Delibes ballet and incidental music. The swaggering Rossini Overtures recording dates from 1958, and most of the recordings on this collection date from early in the stereo era. They were regarded as sonic showpieces when they were first released, and used copies of the original LPs command high prices from collectors even today. The Chopin and Rossini recordings receive their first international CD release, while the

Delibes is a first ever release on CD.

This has to be one of the most amazing recordings of Rossini Overtures ever made. The polish and scintillation of the orchestral playing practically outclasses any other recording and the sense of fun is infectious.