1. La Scala di Seta - Overture (1812) 5'58"

2. Serenata per piccolo compresso (1823) 13'45"

String Sonata in G major (1804)
3. Moderato 8'04"
4. Andantino 4'13"
5. Allegro 2'41"

6. Le Rendez-vous de chasse (1828) 3'20"
'Grande fanfare par Rossini'

7. Variazioni a più strumenti obbligati (1809) 10'21"
Variations for solo clarinet, solo string quartet and orchestra

8. Andante, e Tema con Variazioni per quattro strumenti a fiato (1812) 9'29"
Variations for wind quartet

9. Semiramide - Overture (1823) 12'21"

Total time: 65'00"

“The opening moments of this disc leave no doubt that it’s going to be enormous fun, and from a virtuoso orchestra with a superb conductor. Surely the opening flourish of the Overture to The Silken Ladder has never been delivered with such precision and panache. Can Rossini have imagined any of this music would receive such impeccable performances?” BBC Music Magazine, February 2009 *****

“The highlights of this collection are the Budapest players' vividly released accounts of the rarely recorded wind and string Serenata and the two youthful sets of variations for assorted soloists and small orchestra. …engaging and stylish performances...” Gramophone Magazine, March 2009

“What a delightful and surprising disc this is! The two overtures, of course, are well known, the String Sonata somewhat less so, but the remaining works are almost entirely unfamiliar, and they are all delightful. Le Rendez-vous de chasse is a lively piece for winds, with the horns (as the title suggests) well to the fore. The other three pieces are all variations sets, full of delightful writing for woodwinds and charming melodic invention. The instrumental writing is so "vocal" that you might find yourself imagining the actual words (in whatever language works for you).
The performances are as delicious as the music itself. The woodwinds are light and bubbly, the rhythms admirably taut in the two overtures, and the percussion crisp but never overbearing. All of the soloists acquit themselves admirably, and while you might think that the idiom turns tiresome taken in large doses, in reality there's so much timbral contrast--what with pieces for strings, winds, and colorful chamber-like combinations of the two--that you can listen to the entire program at a sitting. And of course, Channel Classics' engineering is state of the art, in all formats. A wonderful release!” David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com