Romantic Overtures - Eloquence

What a nice surprise to discover this collection of Overtures (5 Volumes in all) on the always enterprising Eloquence label. Volumes 1 & 2, in particular, are real finds and absolute treasures.

Beginning with my favorite of the bunch, Volume #1 contains some rarely heard overtures, conducted by a sadly underrated conductor, Kurt Adler. He has such a natural, passionate feel for these overtures, with his opera-conducting background, bringing a real singing, even rhapsodic, quality to this unfamiliar music. The National Philharmonic Orchestra plays most sensitively, always musical and responsive. The best part is the superlative vintage 1978 Decca recording quality. This is gorgeous orchestral sound, recorded in a warm acoustic, with just about the loveliest, airiest violin tone you will ever hear on CD. Eloquence almost always does a fantastic job with remastering their reissues, and this one is no exception.

The "filler" is the one oddity here - Eloquence added a single overture from Mehta. It is equally excellent, but with only 68 minutes on this disc, surely another Mehta item could have been included. But that is a minor quibble. This is a most enjoyable collection and a knock-out sonically.
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On Volume 2, disc 1 contains a glorious set of overtures that, to my knowledge, has not appeared on CD before. And what a set this is, recorded back in 1957 when the LSO was at its very best. They were frequently conducted by the likes of Solti, Dorati, Mackerras, Monteux, etc., who would never settle for the monotonous, homogenous lack of individuality so many orchestras are currently afflicted with under today's crop of boring conductors. These overtures, under the excellent Piero Gamba, have life, verve, character and sensitivity. Further, Decca's 1957 sound has been superlatively remastered by Eloquence. Indeed, the sound is just excellent, not a bit "dated". One would never guess this recording is nearly 60 years old!

The 2nd disc contains Gamba's complete set of 9 Rossini overtures, 5 of which have appeared before on a London "Weekend Classics" disc. The remastering on this Eloquence disc is far superior, bringing new life and refinement to these great overtures. Again, Gamba and the LSO are on top form, given sensational sound. A most enjoyable set.

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Volume 4 is conducted by Willi Boskovsky, who has a deep pedigree and, thus, natural feel, for these overtures. The playing of the Vienna Philharmonic is spirited and very musical. However, there is much less variety in this collection than found in the first two volumes in this fabulous series from Eloquence. In addition, the recording is not as warm and full as one hears in Volumes 1 & 2 - which is surprising since most of these were recorded much later than those (1968/69). But, for what it is, this is still quite enjoyable nonetheless. I do, however, wish a more varied program was chosen (maybe these were the only overtures Boskovsky recorded for Decca?). After awhile all these Strauss overtures (especially the rarer ones) begin to sound the same. Even the Suppe item sounds similar. Add to this a slightly cold, stark orchestral palette and one tires of it all when listening straight through. Reznicek's Donna Diana Overture is certainly the exception - splendidly done here - sounding uniquely different from all the others, and in comparison, vastly superior musically. That alone tends to make it a misfit, but at the same time providing a most welcome respite from the monotony of the rest. If only more non-Strauss items could have been included, this might have been more satisfying overall. But as it stands, listening to just a couple at a time, enjoyment can certainly be experienced.
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There are two more volumes in this series which I have not heard. The program/conductor combinations did not appeal nearly as much as Volumes 1, 2 & 4. But you should be aware they are available.
Romantic Overtures, Vol. 3 
Overtures by Weber, Schumann, Schubert, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Beethoven & Gluck.
Vienna Philharmonic & La Suisse Romande Orchestra, conducted by Karl Munchinger.
Recorded in 1954, 1958 and 1967.
Romantic Overtures, Vol. 5: Italian Opera Overtures & Intermezzi
​Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Gianandrea Gavazzeni.
​Recorded in 1957/58.