Claudio Abbado - Rossini, Verdi: Overtures (1999) CD-Rip

If you wonder what happened to Rossini and Verdi conducting in the vein of Toscanini, look no further that this CD. This is wonderfully stimulating playing. Abbado would become principal conductor of the London Symphony several years after this recording was made, but we find here that he already had a superb rapport with the orchestra. Andre Previn was still the principal conductor at the time, and it is interesting to hear how differently the orchestra played for him and for Abbado. These performances are highly wrought, with brilliant solo work and a overall luminosity to the orchestral tuttis. The Rossini overtures are still fun, but it's amazing to hear their wealth of theatricality in these readings. Also, the sound is demonstration class, with a good dynamic range and a very realistic spread to the placement of the orchestra. Of the Rossini, these and Colin Davis's are my favorite renditions.