“This is first-rate light music. Majestic at the start, it unfurls into a riot of color—the music of a master, the best of its kind. The Scottish musicians…play the music with heart and bounce.” ***

“…a worthwhile collection.”

“…for music like this, deliberately written to bring a smile to the face and expertly executed, will only be enhanced even further by the best possible digital engineering that brings out all its inherent sparkle. That’s certainly what it is accorded here…taking full advantage of Glasgow’s Henry Wood Hall’s fine acoustics to produce crystal-clear recordings where every instrument comes clearly through some very busy orchestral writing… American conductor Lance Friedel lavishes the greatest care and attention on pieces… The Royal Scottish National Orchestra plays expertly and with considerable panache and these playful accounts…will certainly bring a smile to all…”

“Although each of us has his favorite renditions of particular overtures these Friedel readings impress for their sonic response and clarity of execution. Sterling string response, in tandem with excellent woodwind playing, sets the tone for a potent series of readings, beginning with Herold’s Zampa!  The Thomas Overture to Mignon (1866) exudes its own rarified delicacy of instrumentation and melodic charm via a polonaise, which Friedel’s strings carry with aplomb.” ****

Artistic Quality 10     Sound Quality 10

“The performances are as vibrant as the music itself. Friedel has the Royal Scottish National Orchestra playing with real brilliance and warmth. It sounds like everyone is having a good time, with crisp rhythms at the climaxes, well-balanced percussion that never becomes obnoxious, and a certain easy elegance in the many lyrical passages that the music absolutely demands. Happily, we can enjoy this generous, extremely well played and well-engineered program to remind us of times past.”

“…seconds into Hérold’s Zampa overture it’s clear [Friedel] is having a ball; after all, there’s nothing like a bit of seduction and flirtation with the supernatural to get the pulse racing. And that’s exactly what happens in this feisty overture, played here with tremendous brio and bite. The Austrian Emil von Reznicek’s buoyant overture to his 1894 opera Donna Diana gets a robust reading and the RSNO are as nimble as one could wish. The side drum is nicely caught and there’s some fine horn playing. Oh, and what a grand, grand finale. A most enjoyable confection…”

Album of the Week

“…the SNO packs a lot of music in and it’s well-balanced among French opéra comique, Viennese operetta and Italian opera buffa.”

CD of the Week

“These exuberant pieces are filled with gorgeous tunes, brilliant orchestrations, and race-to-the-finish endings. It’s great to have new recordings of these long-time hits!”

“Listen out for staples of the repertoire such as Hérold’s dramatic Zampa, the delicacy of Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the vivid colour of Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann. They’re full of sweeping melodies, dazzling orchestration and mad race to the finishing line climaxes. The RSNO is on top form under American conductor Lance Friedel on this generously filled album…”