Mozart - Symphonies No. 29 & 40, Concerto for Horn No. 3 / Rossini - "Il Signor Bruschino" Overture / Fournillier, Picardy Sinfonietta

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Here's a surprise. A little-known French regional orchestra playing Mozart and Rossini with real enthusiasm, tight ensemble, and a thoroughly appropriate light and sparkling sound. These live performances from the 1990 Pablo Casals Festival are completely enjoyable. The two symphonies are full of spirit. The strings play cleanly together and the wind balance is just right. The interpretations by Patrick Fournillier have that desirable mixture of intensity and dancelike ease; especially in the G minor symphony, which too often becomes an overblown angst-fest. The horn soloist, Radovan Vlatkovic, does an excellent job with the Third Concerto--musically tasteful, technically polished, and with a beautiful sound that never even threatens to become brassy. Rossini's Il Signor Bruschino overture is clean as a whistle and effervescent as a bottle of champagne, and has crescendos that actually keep getting bigger instead of peaking early and losing steam. The cameras move around but not too much. Mr. Fournillier is of the closed-eyes, open-mouthed, slightly pained expression style of conducting, but to balance it out he sure can bounce around. Many of the string players are easy on the eye. The St. Michel de Cuxa Abbey, where the concert was played, looks a bit strange--large enough to dwarf the orchestra, lit with an eerie orange glow, and constructed of stone walls that, when used as a frame for stationary musicians, tend to be reminiscent of an execution by firing squad. Even so, it's a pretty good disc. --Seth Krimsky

Description

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Symphony No. 29 in A Major," "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor" and "Concerto No. 3 for Horn and Orchestra in E Flat Major," plus Gioacchino Rossini's "Il Signor Bruschino (Overture)" are performed by the Picardy Sinfonietta Orchestra, conducted by Patrick Fournillier.

Customer Reviews:

Great performance.......2003-10-16

These guys really play well together. The first movement of the 40th symphony has moments that are breathtaking. I was very impressed with this orchestra - they really play admirably.
Well worth it to buy for any fan of the great Mozart.

A nice programme of Mozart's music.......2002-07-23

This is a very nice DVD. A good chamber orchestra (Picardy Sinfonietta), a competent conductor (Patrick Fournillier), and outstandings programme and soloist: here, we can watch two of Mozart's better symphonies (29 and 40), the 3rd concert for horn (with that soloist, Radovan Vlatkovic), and a extra number, Rossini's overture from opera "Il Signor Bruschino".
Well, the interpretations are very good. The strings have a very clean sound, and the winds are a joy for the listener. Fournillier choiced the right tempi, and controls well his musicians. And Vlatkovic is perfect in his part, like in his CD of Mozart's Horn Concertos with ECO/Tate.
If you like Mozart's instrumental music, this is a DVD to have.

FUN !.......1999-08-15

This is a joyful DVD. A great program and a fine performance. Get this one. You'll love it !

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