CPO has been doing great things in widening the availability of items from Franz Lehár’s vast and joyous output. There’s certainly much joy to be derived from this new collection of overtures and waltzes. The brilliant Merry Widow concert overture that Lehár arranged in his old age from themes of his masterpiece of 35 years earlier is familiar enough, and its wonderful interweaving of those familiar themes comes across here as well as ever. Of the rest, the best known may be the waltz Wilde Rosen, a delightfully tuneful piece that was a favourite of Lehár himself but has been surprisingly neglected on LP and CD. It’s great to have a modern recording, even without quite the wonderfully clipped phrases that distinguish Lehár’s own interpretation in his final concert for Beromünster Radio in June 1946.

Standing out among the rest is the Altwiener Liebeswalzer, a no less glorious discovery. If the remaining two operetta overtures and two independent waltzes are not top flight Lehár in terms of their thematic inspiration, all four have their delights, and the composer’s supremely confident handling of his thematic material and orchestral resources shines through at every turn. It’s a pity that, whereas CPO’s previous offerings have offered very full measure, this one has a relatively modest total length. There are other fine Lehár waltzes, such as Asklepios and Stadtpark-Schönheiten, that I hope we shall soon hear. Meanwhile let us be grateful for the imaginative offerings that are to be enjoyed in these excellent interpretations.