Rossini - 8 Overtures [Halasz-Zagreb Festival Orchestra]Another Naxos disc, and i mentioned about the awful cover artwork that this company does a couple of days ago [27th August 2010], well this isn't much better, and yet i've grown to love this disc, even though it's on a cheap label, with an unknown Orchestra and Conductor, i find these riveting and precise performances, better than full priced discs with famous Orchestras / Conductors, this is the best set of Rossini Overtures i own.
All of these Overtures were tremendous and thrilling, but on this listen, non more so than The Barber Of Seville, i seriously feel that Rossini's Overtures are better that the Operas they're attached too!, Rossini is the master of marrying tunes and rhythms, the gear changes in his Overtures are always exciting,
Here's Carlos Riazuelo conducting the Barber Of Seville Overture on YouTube.
