French Opera Overtures (Including Zampa, Orpheus in the Underworld & La Belle Helene)

Rosette Recording Penguin Stereo Guide

"Under Martinon these Overtures explode like a suddenly shaken bottle of ice-cold champagne"
(Penguin Stereo Guide)

With this CD, you are in possession of two very special LP recordings which form one of the most sparkling collections of its kind. In short, you have a gem. The concert going public has, alas, been deprived of this once-popular overture repertoire for too long: classical music these days has become serious business, with little room for anything as frivolous as fun. But here we have nine little masterpieces of wit, fizzing with Gallic insouciance, under the incomparable direction of Jean Martinon. You are unlikely to hear these performances surpassed and their effect is as seductive as vintage champagne. (From the liner notes by Paul Westcott)

'Jean Martinon ... whips the orchestra into shape with the sheer energy of his conducting. All of these performances will set your pulse racing and toes tapping, from the élan of Hérold's Zampa to an absolutely wild account of the "can-can" finale to Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld ... He was one of those conductors whose emphasis on basic musical values of good rhythm, just balances, and faithful adherence to the score almost always yielded superior results, and despite the dated sonics his admirers will be very happy that these performances are now generally available.' ClassicsToday.com