A collection of lesser-known music and composers of belcanto

I would like to thank italianoperafan for the excellent idea, and would advise you to check out his channel, if you haven't already done so: it is filled with rare live recordings :)! Though the public is gradually becoming more and more aware of the importance of early 19th century composers and though French and Italian operas of that epoque are beginning to form an important part of the standard repertoire, we are still decades away from a complete appraisal of these works. We all know the operas of Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Meyerbeer, early Verdi... And yet, we don't really know that much about the people and the works that were equally famous in their time and that deserve out attention. Thankfully, the belcanto boom has affected even these neglected works: one has to signal out the tremendous work of "Opera Rara", "Dynamic" and similar recording companies as a perfect vehicle for these 19th century works. This compilation is just a small opportunity for listeners to judge the merits of what is usually called "the ottocento period", in particular, the splendor of belcanto. In this particular instance I am going to focus on the works of Italian and French composers: Mercadante, Pacini, Zingarelli, Auber, Boildieu, Adam, Offenbach and others. Moreover, I will try to include unfamiliar material by the "greats". Enjoy :)!