Released in July 2025 | Label: Naxos
Marschner: Overtures & Stage Music, Vol.3
Heinrich Marschner
Dario Salvi, conductor
Janácek Philharmonic Ostrava
TOP 20 Specialist Classical Charts (UK)
Heinrich August Marschner was a master of German Romantic music, and this third volume in the series presents excerpts from some of his later operas. These include Das Schloss am Aetna with its dark Faustian themes, and Lukretia in which the composer generates an air of Classical antiquity. Both Sangeskönig Hiarne and Der Bäbu showcase Marschner’s talent with descriptive ballet music, allowing us to discover a completely new side to his musical craft.
Reviews
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AllMusic.com
★★★★ “The Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava is an example of the tremendous bench strength of the Czech orchestral scene, and Salvi's performances are appropriately light and lively. German audiences in the mid-19th century would have known this music, and it remains enjoyable today; the album makes one want to hear a new complete Marschner opera.”
James Manheim - September 2025
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Pizzicato
★★★★ “Dario Salvi continues his exploration of Heinrich August Marschner’s stage music. The third volume in the series features excerpts from the late operas Das Schloss am Ätna (The Castle on Etna) and Lukretia, as well as the ballet music Sangeskönig Hiarne (King Hiarne) and Der Bäbu. The music is enjoyable with many good ideas and is performed at a high standard by Dario Salvi and the musicians from Ostrava in a high-quality sound.”
Remy Franck - July 2025
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Infodad.com
★★★ “Nevertheless, there is a lot to enjoy in Salvi’s Marschner recordings, the third of which includes the overture to a work whose very form is long since obsolete: a so-called “vaudeville,” Der Verlobung von der Trommel, which is a mashup of music by three other composers (Adolphe Adam, Karl August Krebs, and Adolf Müller) – with the overture itself being Marschner’s adaptation of Adam’s overture to Le Roi d’Yvetot, and the original stage production as a whole being designed to cash in on the popularity of Donizetti’s La Fille du regiment.”
July 2025
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Opera Lounge
“This is pleasant music, immediately catchy, perhaps lacking that final spark of genius. Even if this isn't explicitly stated, virtually all of the pieces included here are likely world premiere recordings. Sonically, the production is flawless”. [Original in German]
Daniel Hauser - August 2025
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MusicWeb International
“The overture to Die Verlobung vor der Trommel, oder Der Mutter Ungedenken, its unwieldy title notwithstanding, is the best thing on the program. In particular, an extended sprightly passage reminded me of the “French” Donizetti – I could imagine Richard Bonynge having a great time with it on one of his old collections of obscurities. The excerpts from Der Bäbu are also winning, sometimes achieving a dancing lilt […]”
Stephan Francis Vasta - August 2025