Opera buffa in the late 18th century was dominated by Domenico Cimarosa, "the Italian Mo/art," as the standard texts have it, who wrote more than 50 such works. As this output has largely been forgotten, the recent revival of II Matrimonio Segreto (1792) is a pleasant surprise. Melodic invention was Cimarosa's forte, and, around a suitably ridiculous libretto, he fashioned a series of glorious arias and duets that are given their due by an effective cast that includes Ryland Davies and Arleen Augér, whose secret marriage gives impetus to the tale. Daniel Barenboim leads the responsive English Chamber Orchestra, and the whole production is suffused with wit and charm (DG 2709 169).

Another of Barenboim's forays into the recesses of the catalogue has yielded a recording of two neglected Debussy items (DG 2530 879). The wistful Printemps, one of the composer's earliest of numerous depictions of the season, was designated for orchestra and wordless chorus, though it has been performed only in the 1913 Henri Busser version heard here.Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien, which began as incidental music for the d'Annunzio mystery play, also exists in alternate editions, including an "oratorio" version and the present colorful orchestration, attributed to Andrè Caplet. The atmospheric performances are by the Orchestre de Paris.

Legato playing and markedly slow tempos smooth the rough edges of Prokofiev's angular Symphony No.5 in Eugene Ormandy's version with the Philadelphia Orchestra (RCA ARL1—1869). Lingering too long, they lose tension, and the result, though lushly beautiful, lacks the Fifth's requisite sense of urgency. This is particularly apparent when compared to RCA's reissue of Koussevitzky's classic 1946 recording with the Boston Symphony (Victrola AVM1—2021), a performance in which the balance of spirit, drive, and texture still seems just right.