Search - Hans Christian Lumbye, Giordano Bellincampi, Tivoli Symphony Orchestra :: Lumbye: Champagne Galop, etc. Complete Orchestral Works Vol. 1

"The Strauss Of The North"

Gary | 05/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a champion of rare light music, this series is a true gem to me. The prolific Hans Christian Lumbye, who was appropriately called, the "Strauss of the North," produced most of his compositions in Copenhagen. He started out as a trumpeter (also played the violin). A contemporary of Johann Strauss, he too was bitten by the "Strauss" bug, when he attended some concerts which played music by the Waltz King and his brother, Josef. Thereafter, Lumbye soon formed his own orchestra and embarked on a new career as a composer of light music. His success was almost instant, establishing himself as, of course, the Strauss of the North! In 1843, Lumbye was asked to be the conductor for the orchestra of the newly constructed Tivoli amusement park. Hence a long lasting relationship was to form between the two. Those of you who are ballet fans, should realize that apart from writing compositions for waltzes and marches, Lumbye also collaborated with several others on a number of scores for Bournonville's ballets--most notably, Napoli. As for this CD, no one can do a better job than the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra (after all, they weren't Lumbye's former orchestra for nothing!). Though this first CD of the series may not have the best acoustics (music tends to sound a little distant), it [series] does improve by the third installment. This minor flaw aside, the CD gives you some of Lumbye's best known works, such as the ever popular "Champagne Galop," "Salut for August Bournonville, Galop," and the "Amelie Waltz," just to name a few. Giordano Bellincampi, though an Italian, conducts this Nordic music beautifully. True, others have also made recordings of Lumbye's music (I like the one by Rozhdestvensky. His tempo is somewhat slower than Bellincampi's.), but this series has Lumbye's own orchestra playing what they play best. And it costs less than its competitions. So you get the best of both worlds!"

A delightful programme, well played

G.D. | Norway | 03/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hans Christian Lumbye (1810-1874) was a Danish composer who, on the model of Johann Strauss the elder and Josef Lanner, formed his own orchestra whose main repertoire consisted of his own light - with some success. On evidence of this disc the success was quite deserved (although this is something of a "best of" disc). It opens with his most famous single piece, the Copenhagen Steam Railway Galop, which is a delightfully tuneful and memorable little masterpiece fully on the level of anything written by any of the Strausses. Not everything here is quite as appealing, but the Amélie Waltz and the Champagne Galop, to name just two, aren't far behind. On the whole, the programme is sufficiently appealing, interesting and varied to sustain interest throughout.



Bellincampi surely knows how to make the music swagger and sing, and the Tivoli orchestra responds idiomatically - they aren't quite the Wiener Philharmoniker in terms of sumptuous tone or fiery brilliance, but overall very good. Sound quality is transparent and fine, though with a certain lack of balance. Anyway, this release can be safely recommended to the curious."