Comedy Overtures on Naxos

[chriss]

Naxos did two collections of "Comedy Overtures"

Great Comedy Overtures (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Friedel)
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573418

and recently
Opéra-Comique Overtures (Vienna Radio Symphony, M. Halász)
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.574122

The first one conducted by Lance Friedel is a great collection of delightful pieces in spirited performances. It's full of sung and unsung favorites. The second one is mostly a collection of somewhat more bland pieces but the performances are very good though. The one real discovery for me is the "Le calife de Bagdad" Overture by Boieldieu with its faux Mozart-Janitscharenmusik. 

[Mark Thomas]

Sorry to be pedantic, but Opéra Comique doesn't usually mean "Comic Opera" in France, but rather an opera in which there's a mixture of spoken dialogue and musical numbers.

[chriss]

You're of course right 
but for me this was somehow a Vol. 2 of the first album of Overtures. And there are "comedy operas" on it.

[MartinH]

The first disk is of no interest; everything on it is pretty well known and been recorded dozens of times. The Halasz disk, though, has some interesting and unusual repertoire and might be worth hearing. Nice to see Maestro Halasz is still alive and active!

[TerraEpon]

Though calling it 'volume 2' isn't really good. After all, both happen to have that perennial chestnut, Zampa.

Still it's a great disc despite that. Highly recommend.

[eschiss1]

I agree re Halasz- I keep forgetting how many of the conductors and performers in my recording collection have died (unsettlingly many in the last year, including WA Albert, etc.) Anyway.

[Joachim Raff]

Though calling it 'volume 2' isn't really good.

I have to agree with this comment. Why have these two discs been lumped together in this thread. They are quite different in content and performance. Some delightful unsung music but please treat them with respect. 

[Alan Howe]

but please treat them with respect

Meaning?

[Joachim Raff]

Ok, the Great Comedy Overture collection are certainty not unsung. These are mainstream compositions that have been recorded several times before. What even makes it worse is the performances are yawn, mundane, stiff and totally underwhelming.
The  Opéra-Comique Overtures are certainly rare and almost certainly unsung. Very intriguing and lots to discover. Its seems crazy to discuss and compare the two. The respectful thing to do is to have its own thread.