Described as having ‘natural genius’, John Abraham Fisher (1744–1806) was a significant figure in London during the second half of the 18th century. A virtuoso violinist, he also wrote admired stage works for the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. His orchestral works are largely forgotten today, but his symphonies display a surprising awareness of contemporary continental trends in their use of dynamic variations, revealing the influence of the Mannheim School. Possessing a richness of colour, contrast and surprise, these symphonies typify Fisher’s expanding Classical style.

The composer’s name is barely known and this is an excellent opportunity to promote British symphonic music of the second half of the 18th century; he can viewed alongside John Christopher Smith and Thomas Arne.

Michael Halász’s recordings for Naxos include ballets by Tchaikovsky, operatic excerpts of Wagner, symphonies by Beethoven, Schubert and Mahler, Rossini’s overtures, three volumes of Liszt’s symphonic poems (the latter critically acclaimed by The Penguin Guide), Fidelio (866007071), Don Giovanni (866008082), Le nozze di Figaro (866010204), Die Zauberflöte (866003031), and a pioneering recording of Schreker’s opera Der ferne Klang (866007475). He has also recorded Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Orfeo (8550766), Richard Strauss’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (8553379), and Rubinstein’s Don Quixote (8555394).

The Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice is valued for its stylistic interpretations and the extraordinary quality of its orchestral sound. They have appeared on several volumes of the Cimarosa Overtures series on Naxos – the final instalment (8574103) receiving praise for their ‘clean and competent’ (Fanfare) performances under Michael Halász.

The orchestra’s other releases included the symphonies of 18th-century composers Franz Ignaz Beck (8573248 and 8573249), Michael Haydn (8573497 and 8573498) and Leopold Koželuch (8573627, 8573872 and 8574047).