Heinrich Marschner, the leading German composer of Romantic opera between Weber and Wagner, was a progressive innovator, bringing to his music a new dimension – the supernatural anti-hero enmeshed in horror, such as the protagonist of Der Vampyr (1828). Before his psychological operas, however, Marschner composed a series of overtures and stage works exploring more conventional material. These have long been overlooked. In this first volume Schön Ella represents Marschner’s mastery of form, skilful orchestration and melodic gifts, while the excerpts from Ali Baba reveal his flair for theatrical concision and mood setting.

Dario Salvi is a Scottish-Italian conductor, researcher and musicologist. He is widely regarded as a fast-rising name in opera and operetta, and is known for his expressive gestures and precision of style. A specialist in the restoration, recording and performance of rare Viennese works, comic opera, ballet and orchestral music – particularly the works of the Strauss family and their contemporaries such as Czibulka, Ziehrer, Suppè, Millöcker, Genèe, Kàlmàn and Mont – he is a busy recording artist with Naxos, and has completed projects documenting forgotten works by J. Strauss II, Auber, Meyerbeer, Humperdinck and more. He has been awarded a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain for his extensive contribution to Viennese music.

Dario Salvi is currently collaborating with Naxos on recordings of Romantic ballets and a series on Auber’s overtures and orchestral music. Vol. 5 has been released though with a different orchestra from this current disc, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. ‘The melodic invention – Italianate with a French accent – is winning, the orchestration is vivid and the Janáček Philharmonic play with considerable polish for Dario Salvi… these are attractive accounts of music that deserves better than its current obscurity’ (Gramophone).

He also recorded Humperdinck’s music for the stage on 8574177: ‘The performances are uniformly skilled and spirited. The singing from both the soloists and the chorus is excellent – lively in expression and accurate in pitch and phrasing. The orchestra plays with rich tone, constantly producing sweet, mellow sounds. Salvi conducts with a flexibility most effective for theatre music’ (American Record Guide).

The Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice is valued for its stylistic interpretations and the extraordinary quality of its orchestral sound, and it is rightly ranked amongst the world’s leading representatives of Czech musical culture. Their recording of Meyerbeer’s overtures and stage music, also together with Salvi, is available on 8574316.