Adam/Strauss/Offenbach: Orchestral Works

Advantages: Gaily jolly, irreverent, humorous, bawdy, tuneful. A masterful reworking of the primary opus of the master of French comic opera. If you enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan track this one down – I can guarantee you a surprisingly wonderful musical experience.
Disadvantages: None

...” Classical and light “Classical” music). This two disc boxed set of ‘Orpheus In The Underworld’ is the first non-G&S work to have been recorded by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. It is therefore a most appropriate work for the Company to cover in this manner. The original project was a collaboration between the Company and Opera North to produce a new working of the original two act version of Offenbach’s opera both for a national tour and this subsequent album. It also spurred the development of D’Oyly Carte’s repertoire beyond the mainstream G&S. The orchestration and playing is sparkling. The soloists and chorus are very clear in their diction. This translation also captures much of the humour and witticism of the original. This version is sung in English and includes the spoken libretto. ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD - Offenbach (1994) The D... Read review

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Advantages: Some less often heard pieces by Robert Stolz
Disadvantages: Insensitive conducting which swamps singers

...Having lived and worked in Vienna for several years, I\'ve always had a big soft spot for operetta, waltzes and Viennese music in general. Done well it can be as satisfyingly enjoyable to listen to as drinking a mug of my favourite Austrian Kaffeehaus speciality - \"heisse Schokolade\" (hot chocolate) topped with a big dollop of perfectly whipped cream... Unfortunately, listening to this CD - which is with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Iain Sutherland and the two vocal soloists Julia Migenes and Sebastian Reinthaller - is like forcing yourself to drink thin watery cheap cocoa with nasty sludgey powdery lumpy bits lurking in the bottom. It isn\'t good at all, I\'m afraid. Robert Stolz lived from 1880 to 1975 and really continued the Viennese style of operetta and light orchestral music that had been so successfully developed... Read review

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Advantages: Every tune's a winner
Disadvantages: Nothing new

...Brahms Germany Strauss, R Germany Mahler Germany Offenbach Germany Liszt Hungary Rossini Italy Vivaldi Italy Puccini Italy Einaudi Italy Verdi Italy Grieg Norway Shostakovich Russia Mussorgsky Russia Rachmaninov Russia Rimsky-Korsakov Russia Stravinsky Russia Borodin Russia Tchaikovsky Russia Prokofiev Russia Nyman UK Holst UK Tavener UK Britten UK Elgar UK Rutter UK Williams US Copland US Gershwin US Preisner ? How many names did you recognise? Probably most of them! You would imagine that most of "the world's greatest composers" had long lain in their graves (dare I say, decomposing…), But, in fact, a handful of them are young and consulting their muses as I type. Michael Nyman, for example, wrote the haunting soundtrack to the film "The Piano", and Tavener has become very popular in recent years for his dramatic and ultimately accessible... Read review

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