Gramophone Magazine
April 2026
Editor's Choice

Sinfonia of London, John Wilson

Puccini: Preludio sinfonico, SC 32
Puccini: Capriccio sinfonico, SC 55
Puccini: Le villi, SC 60: Preludio & La tregenda
Puccini: Edgar, SC 62: Preludio to Act I & Act III
Puccini: Crisantemi, SC 65 (arr. Wilson)
Puccini: 3 Minuetti, SC 61 (arr. Wilson)
Puccini: Manon Lescaut: Preludio to Act II & Intermezzo to Act III

Puccini is renowned as one of the greatest opera composers of all time and his early works offer a fascinating insight into his development as a composer. John Wilson and Sinfonia of London lead us on a journey through student compositions and orchestral extracts from his earliest operas, including the Capriccio sinfonico, his graduation piece, which famously pre-echoes the opening of La bohème. The collection also features orchestral excerpts from Le villi and Edgar, alongside Wilson's own string orchestra adaptations of Crisantemi and the Tre minuetti.

"It's all wonderfully done, as one might expect. Wilson, who made his operatic debut with Madama Butterfly at Glyndebourne in 2016, is an excellent Puccinian, conducting with a mix of passion and finesse that proves well-nigh ideal." — Gramophone Magazine, April 2026