Offenbach is so well
known as an opera composer - some 90
operas in 25 years! - that we tend to
overlook his many other works which
include a cello concerto, ballet and
numerous orchestral, songs and instrumental
works. We also forget that by many he
was seen as a waltz king in opposition
to Johann Strauss. This disc contains
a selection of his dance music written
for piano.
Decameron dramatique
is a collection of considerable originality;
the pieces were written during 1850-55
when he was the musical director of
the Comédie Française
theatre. Offenbach dedicated each piece
to a woman, specifically to the ten
‘stars’, the main singers in his theatre.
Every number had an introduction and
a coda which draws the themes together
to form an exciting finale. The longest
pieces are two ‘Grande Valses’, the
others are shorter and include two ‘Schottisches’
and various other dances including polkas.
Les Roses du Bengale
comprises six short rather enigmatic
waltzes. They are simply structured,
elegiac and rather reserved. Surprisingly
perhaps many are in a minor key. They
were each dedicated to a lady with a
noble title, one of whom, Herminie d’Alcon,
he later married.
The Dernier Souvenir,
Valse de Zimmer is based upon a
tune which Offenbach’s mother and sisters
hummed him to sleep at night. There
is a fascinating and touching story
of how the composer tried to trace the
composer of the tune and eventually
found him starving and on the point
of death in Vienna. This composer was
called Zimmer and his life had been
ruined when his fiancée had died
suddenly.
The last work on this
disc, Bella Notte, Barcarola,
is a piano arrangement of the famous
barcarole that Offenbach used with such
effect in his Les Contes d’Hoffman.
All the music on this
disc is tuneful and effectively presented
by the composer and is very enjoyable.
However it would be unfair to suggest
that any has that ‘wow’ effect that
characterises Offenbach at his brilliant
best - Barcarole excepted.
Marco Sollini plays
well but I cannot help thinking that
a little more flexibility in phrasing
would mitigate the strict tempo-for-dancing
feeling. The recording is good and the
presentation and notes also are fine;
although the notes are too obviously
a translation from German. Despite these
minor cavils this is an enjoyable CD.
Arthur Baker
Marco Sollini (piano) 
