Rossini’s opera overtures discharge a function of decisive importance – that of captivating listeners even before the actual opera action begins. Therefore they are the instrumental highlight of every opera and in their time quickly made their way into the concert halls. In them there are numerous aha-effects such as the unusual horn solo in the first section of the overture of the comic opera Il turco in Italia. The faster part reveals further hallmarks of Rossini’s style: catchy short motifs, loud-quiet contrasts, and question-answer games between the instruments (here, for example, between the woodwind group and the solo trumpet). In the end the concluding crescendo quite literally lifts the listeners out of their seats.
And all of this occurs within a quite simple formal structure – but one that functions as a guiding idea. Whether Il barbiere di Siviglia, La scala di seta, or Il signor Bruschino – all of these famous, sparkling opera overtures are dashingly and rousingly performed by I Virtuosi Italiani. © CPO