Track Listing

1. Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry), operetta: Overture
2. Fra Diavolo, opera: Overture
3. Overture to 'Zampa', for orchestra
4. Dichter und Bauer (Poet and Peasant), overture for orchestra
5. Donna Diana, opera: Overture
6. Orph�e aux enfers, operetta: Overture
7. Overture to Guillaume Tell (William Tell)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13794 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Blockbuster demo disk!
The Telarc label does it again. This is the perfect disk for showing off your sound system. Great recordings and great selection of overtures. I've been listening to this CD for about 15 years now and the Orpheus in the Underworld track still sends chills up my spine.

William Tell & Other Favorite Overtures
Suppe's Light Calvary and Poet and Peasant Overtures were absolutely grand, as were Daniel-Francois Auber's Fra Diavolo, Herold's Zampa, Reznicek's Donna Diana, Offenbachs Orpheus in the Underworld, and the magnificent William Tell Overture by Rossini. One word of caution: this CD will really test your stereo, the bass actually thunders, and will blow your socks off. Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Orchestra did a fine job, I would recommend this CD to anyone who loves the thunderous music of an orchestra, you cannot go wrong buying this CD, I love it on the car stereo and at home.

A Showcase Recording.
In the early 80s, I put together a stereo system that I was quite proud of. A compact disc player was part of the system. The technology was new at the time and quite impressive. The biggest problem was finding programming material that took full advantage of the CD player capabilities. That's when I found Telarc Records. They specialized in turning out digitally recorded CDs with appeal for audiophiles. Most CDs in those days were analog recorded and then remastered and printed on the CD. There was a difference. Oh, yeah! In any case, Telarc offered a variety of digitally recorded CDs, most, but not all, of which were classical. My main listening preferences are not classical. However, the music released by Telarc was quite good and the recordings were absolutely pristine.

I somehow got on a mailing list and Telarc would inform me of their new offerings. Of course, I'd buy up almost anything they would release in that their recordings were the best obtainable and I had become a bit of an audiophile. "William Tell and Other Favorite Overtures" by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra was one of those discs. The music was excellent! The CD contained seven familiar overtures which presented very enjoyable listening in themselves, plus the CD served as a showcase demonstration record for the stereo system. Excellent though it might be, I just don't listen to this type of music very often. But, if visitors come over, and I'm showing off my stereo, and they show interest in overtures of this type, out comes the disc. It just can't be beat, and it's now 20 years old.

So, what do you want? It's a collection of popular and familiar overtures. All are quite wonderfully done, probably as good as you could get, although I'd not be an authority here. Plus, of you want the highest quality sound, These 80s Telarc records are the best you can get.

Gary Peterson