Customer Reviews

Salieri: Symphonies, Overtures

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This disc is part of Chandos' wonderful series, "Contemporaries of Mozart", and is a nice companion to the Salieri overtures disc on Marco Polo/Naxos (which I already reviewed). Between the two I would say that the LMP under Bamert give more precise and polished performances -- Bamert is a fastidious and exacting conductor who was a pupil of no less than George Szell and Leopold Stokowski (at different times naturally!).

Of the works on this disc, I particularly enjoyed the Sinfonia "Onomastico", which is the only "legitimate" 4 movement symphony on this programme -- the others are extended opera ovetures or in one case (the Sinfonia "Veneziana") a modern compilation from separate overtures. The "Falstaff" overture was also particularly delightful -- I daresay if you played this for a friend without telling them who composed it they might just be fooled into thinking it was a lesser known Mozart overture. Likewise the "Cubla kan" overture, which seems to look forward a bit to the festive Rossini overtures of the next generation.

The most unusual piece is the 26 variations on "La folia", composed late in Salieri's career (1815), and with an unusual instrumentation, including trombones and even a tambourine.

All in all, this is a very fine disc, and should give the lie to those who harbour misconceptions about Salieri derived from the fictionalized treatment in the film "Amadeus". No genius perhaps, but a major composer of his day, still worth hearing.

It is unfortunate that Antonio Salieri (1750 - 1825) is known now almost exclusively for being the nemesis of Mozart in the Peter Schaffer play and subsequent film 'Amadeus'. Salieri was certainly much more than the thwarted, second-rate composer. Perhaps he was not in Mozart's league so far as composition power goes (although the best of Salieri certainly stands up as worthy in comparison with many of the major composers of his time), but he was a respected composer in his own time, and perhaps more than for his composition, he was respected as a teacher and court musician. Salieri counts among his pupils Beethoven, Schubert, Liszt and even Mozart's second son.

His operas tended to follow a particularly popular formula, with dramatic flairs and stories easily accessible to the people. He drew inspiration from historical works, from mythological and fictional works, as well as works of popular circulation. Salieri even used some libretti from Lorenzo de Ponte, perhaps better known now as a librettist for Mozart.

This disc includes overtures of twelve operas (Salieri wrote nearly 50 operas, several of which were not premiered until the 1990s). They include pieces from his dramatic operas as well as his comic operas. The power in these is certainly evident. Perhaps the best of the lot is 'Cesare in Farmacusa (Tempesta di Mare)' and 'Axur, Re d'Ormus', an opera also involving de Ponte, and reworked from an earlier attempt to do a French opera into an Italian one.

It is a mistake (reinforced by 'Amadeus') to classify Salieri as an Italian composer - he lived most of his life in Vienna, and was criticised by the Empress at one point for being too much of a German composer. Salieri's works such as 'Don Chisciotte alle nozze di Gamace', the overture of which is included here, certainly shows his strength in writing toward the German.

This disc is a fun disc to listen to. There is nothing earth-shattering or new here, but these pieces are good compositions, and the performances by the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava), under the direction of Michael Dittrich, is exemplary. This is one of those often-overlooked Eastern European orchestras that has incredible performance ability; they have had international touring experience as well as a number of recordings for Naxos, who is to be praised for bringing less popular music to the general public in an affordable way.

It's nice to know that you need a movie to awaken you to classical music. If you had been introduced to Salieri in any way other than the Milos Forman film, you would realize the truth. Amadeus is a MOVIE... just like TITANIC is a movie. FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT OF HISTORICAL FACTS...While adding in elements of fiction to enhance the DRAMA.. Salieri is a good composer. I suggest that you do your research, pal. Do you know that he and Mozart once shared a bill? Now, ANYONE can safely say that had they been enemies, they would not have dreamed of having their operas performed together.. Music is a personal thing for those who create it. But anyway, Salieri deserves to be noticed.

Salieri Symphonies and Overtures is a very enjoyable album, especially the 26 Variations. This album showed me how very talented he was and why there was such a competition with Mozart.

Salieri was in fact a pioneer of music. It was never proven that he murdered Mozart. Salieri's pupils included Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. He helped found the Academy of Music in Vienna. The movie Amadeus is probably loosely based on an opera called Mozart i Salieri which dramatized their competition and jealousy. Salieri does not get the credit he deserves for his contribution to classical music as a composer. Salieri is a wonderful addition to anyone's classical music collection.

This CD digs into the ignored music of Antonio Salieri. I am fed up of reviews comparing this composer to Mozart. Calling Salieri a murderer of Mozart is utterly incorrect. Probably, the reviewer who made this statement does not know that 'Amadeus' is a movie based on a myth.