JOSEPH MERK (1795-1852): Fleurs d'Italie - Fantasies sur les Motifs les plus favoris d'Opéras nouveaux, Op. 26, Nos. 1-4 & Op. 31, Air suisse varié et Rondeau from Aux amateurs, Op. 32, Valses brillantes, Op. 6.

Description: Only three months ago, this outstanding Viennese cellist made his CD debut with a disc of etudes (11O036). Now we get some less "academic" material: 57 minutes of highly virtuosic fantasies on popular operas of the day (Lucrezia Borgia, Lucia di Lammermoor, torquato Tasso, Dom Sébastien and, to break the Donizetti monopoly, Ernani), an equally dazzling set of waltzes and an 11-minute piece for non-professionals. Martin Rummel (cello), Roland Krüger (piano).