This is an interesting selection of overtures both deservedly popular and undeservedly ignored played with Norrington's now familiar capacity for approaching even the most familiar music with freshness and insight. That is not to deny that the results are sometimes questionable. One day, soon perhaps, we shall get a performance of Weber's Oberon Overture that takes account of the original score (which contains some surprises): meanwhile, this opens with nice playing on a hand horn and some delicate woodwind phrases that beautifully realize Weber's exquisite scoring. I wish Norrington would record the whole opera. Later, his characteristic of tailing phrases off rather steeply seems to me to operate against the line of the melody associated in the opera with Reiza's ''My husband, my love'' (in ''Ocean! thou mighty monster''); but as Norrington amends this on its second statement, he must mean it. The brass is good and strong, though there is a tendency here and elsewhere for the trumpets and trombones (which are both excellent) to dominate the horns.
The Hebrides is superbly played, with a beautifully chosen tempo for the second subject and a proper flexibility of pace: such flexibility also marks the very exciting performance of The Flying Dutchman (as Wagner would have wished) though the fast pace of Senta's ballad theme is a surprise and makes things awkward for the cor anglais. The version used is that of 1841 in the new Wagner Edition, as David Murray's excellent notes explain: the issues are fully set out in John Deathridge's preface to the score, for those who are curious enough to consult it. (Murray also reminds us of the opera's original setting in Scotland, with Daland christened Donald: not true, though, as Alan Tyson once mischievously observed that the opera could then have been called The Flying Scotsman.) It is not only interesting to have this recorded: the style of the pristine version really suits Norrington rather better, I think, and he plays it with a marvellous sharpness. Les francs-juges is exuberantly handled, with a delightful lilt to the main theme and some brass snarls that Berlioz would surely have relished.
The two less familiar overtures also come off well. That to Die Zauberharfe is a beautiful piece that should be much better known. Not everything works here: Norrington snatches at some of the phrases, especially in the first subject of the Allegro vivace, and in the second subject the accompaniment figuration is unclear. Schubert here accompanies one of his most ravishing tunes on woodwind (rescored on its second appearance) with a lively little figure first on cellos, later on violas, which really needs better definition. Not only the figuration but the change in tone colour is meant to register. The Genoveva Overture is less striking, though Norrington handles well the central theme and its transformations. Incidentally Murray's notes associate the ''dropping motive of a falling fifth'' with Genoveva herself: it actually permeates much of the invention of the opera, and is not associated exclusively with Genoveva.'