ADE 117 THE MERCURY CLASSICS Verdi: Overtures London Symphony Antal Doráti

Doráti conducts Verdi

Overtures

La forza del destino; Nabucco; I vespri Siciliani; La Traviata Prelude Act 1; Prelude Act 3
London Symphony/ Antal Doráti

Simon Boccanegra: final scene

Netherlands Opera (live)*

First release on CD*

“…vivid conducting and really first-rate playing make this an excellent little Verdi disc*. All the pathos is drawn out of the TRAVIATA preludes without any heart-on-the- sleeve exaggeration, resulting in most moving performances. The recording is bright and exciting, too…”

FGB, RECORDS & RECORDINGS, January 1960

*this was a review of Mercury XEP 9021 (UK), a 7in 45rpm disc, pictured on our liner inlay; the drawing of Doráti is by British artist Juliet Pannet

ADE 117

The Doráti Edition
Published and © 2025
The Antal Doráti Centenary Society www.dorati-society.org.uk

email: richardchlupaty@mail.com

“…It takes only a few moments of listening to this record to realise that Doráti and Verdi are no strangers to one another. Seldom, apart from a Toscanini performance, have I heard these overtures delivered with as much surging dramatic impact and as disciplined orchestral execution. Mercury’s big, brassy sound is perfectly suited to this music, too, which helps to make this a most stirring listening experi-

ence even for jaded ears…”

PA, HI-FI RECORD REVIEW, May 1958