Rossini: Instrumental music (Incls 'La Scala di Seta' Overture & 'Variations for solo clarinet, solo string quartet and orchestra')

"The opening moments of this disc leave no doubt that it's going to be enormous fun, and from a virtuoso orchestra with a superb conductor. Surely the opening flourish of the Overture to The Silken Ladder has never been delivered with such precision and panache. Can Rossini have imagined any of this music would receive such impeccable performances?" Five Stars BBC Music Magazine 'orchestral CD of the month'

"What a delightful and surprising disc this is! The two overtures, of course, are well known, the String Sonata somewhat less so, but the remaining works are almost entirely unfamiliar, and they are all delightful. Le Rendez-vous de chasse is a lively piece for winds, with the horns (as the title suggests) well to the fore. The other three pieces are all variations sets, full of delightful writing for woodwinds and charming melodic invention. The instrumental writing is so "vocal" that you might find yourself imagining the actual words (in whatever language works for you).

The performances are as delicious as the music itself. The woodwinds are light and bubbly, the rhythms admirably taut in the two overtures, and the percussion crisp but never overbearing. All of the soloists acquit themselves admirably, and while you might think that the idiom turns tiresome taken in large doses, in reality there's so much timbral contrast--what with pieces for strings, winds, and colorful chamber-like combinations of the two--that you can listen to the entire program at a sitting. And of course, Channel Classics' engineering is state of the art, in all formats. A wonderful release!"
(ClassicsToday 10/10)

Rossini was a genius, especially as a melody-composer. His instrumental music is like colorful opera arias or ensembles without words. To perform these melodies one needs to declamate, articulate and characterize like actors on stage. And of course one needs to have a brilliant, fast tongue and fast fingers. Italians talk fast with beautiful diction, especially in a heated discussion. It has been great fun to record this music with members of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, where it is our aim to offer creative opportunities for individual members. I believe that this music needs clarity of sound: like that of the dry but transparent Italian theatres, sparkling of vitality.
Ivan Fischer