Treasures of the Romantic Era, Vol. 1

A collaborator said of Bellini that “the maestro likes Romanticism and exaggeration” but found Classicism “cold and boring.” It wasn't a complimentary assessment. But the Romantics won out, as listeners flocked to full-blooded orchestral climaxes and bummed-out reveries. (Beethoven was skilled in both modes.) The Romantic-era experts in this playlist will excite your feelings, too.