The music of Daniel-François Auber, with the single exception of the 1830 opera Fra Diavolo, has been all but forgotten. Perhaps he suffered because he was so prolific; he wrote dozens of operas (no one can quite agree on how many), remaining active until his death at age 89. However, he was absolutely ready for rediscovery, and conductor Dario Salvi and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra have started the ball rolling with their series of his overtures, which here reaches its fourth volume. There is a lot more where these ...
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The music of Daniel-François Auber, with the single exception of the 1830 opera Fra Diavolo, has been all but forgotten. Perhaps he suffered because he was so prolific; he wrote dozens of operas (no one can quite agree on how many), remaining active until his death at age 89. However, he was absolutely ready for rediscovery, and conductor Dario Salvi and the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra have started the ball rolling with their series of his overtures, which here reaches its fourth volume. There is a lot more where these came from, especially inasmuch as the albums cover not only overtures but entr'actes and other instrumental passages. Saturation is nowhere near being reached. These works are as different from one another as the Mozart symphonies are, and they're unfailingly elegant, imaginative, and fun. Reasons to choose this release over the three earlier ones might include the presence of excerpts from Fra Diavolo, still the place to start with Auber even if there are so many other riches, and...
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