Eugen d'Albert: Cinderella Suite, The Little Mermaid, Overtures —MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony/Jun Märkl (Naxos 573110)
David Hurwitz at ClassicsToday.com reports, “Eugen d’Albert was a tremendously gifted musician, and even had he not been we would owe him respect for being married six times and inspiring his second wife, the also multiply married Venezuelan pianist Teresa Carreño, to utter that immortal line, “Darling, your children and my children are quarreling with our children again!’ Aside from multiple marriages, d’Albert composed multiple operas, nineteen at least, and the overtures and preludes contained on this disc are very enjoyable. They range from the moody prelude to The Dead Eyes, to the luscious The Ruby (his first opera), to the jolly comedy The Departure. The Overture to Grillparzer’s Esther is actually a robust, early concert work, while the delightful Cinderella Suite has plenty of the requisite fairytale atmosphere…Jun Märkl leads the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony with plenty of verve…d’Albert’s style lacks the ultimate in individuality, but it’s unflaggingly attractive, and he clearly evolved from his Wagner/Liszt origins to something more contemporary…”