A very nice surprise
I admit I only knew Boildieu from his harp concerto. Here we get a piano concerto, a work from his youth that’s nice in the ear, but not as inventive as the harp concerto.
The surprise lies in the six opera ouvertures, festive and sparkling examples of a genre which brought Boildieu fame and money. It is very vital music, the first reference goes to Rossini, but with enough inventiveness to stand out. What a lot of foot-tapping melodies, what an abundance of good music and good humour.
Howard Griffith’s conducting is exemplary, and this all in a recording of demonstration quality.
An unexpected treat !
