10 Delicious Overtures That Have Faded From The Repertoire
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.พ. 2024
- 10 Popular Overtures That Have Faded From The Repertoire
Auber: Fra Diavolo
Thomas: Mignon
Verdi: La Forza del Destino
Hérold: Zampa
Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld
Wolf-Ferrari: Susana’s Secret
Rossini: Semiramide
Reznicek: Donna Diana
Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon
Suppé: Light Cavalry
Classical music should be for everyone. These overtures are a great way to get into orchestral music.
An overture that doesn’t get anything like the performances it deserves is Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage”. Along with Elgar’s “In the South” which does get more exposure, it’s my favourite of all.
A few years ago, when conductor James Judd came out to NZ to conduct the NZSO Youth Orchestra and Rossini's "William Tell" overture was on the programme, he described it as a little symphony and I think he is right about that. I had thought of three overtures that I love and which I don't recall ever hearing at concerts, although I concede they might not be of the sort you were considering. They are: Vaughan Williams "The Wasps"; NIelsen's "Masquerade" and Sibelius's "Karelia", Op. 10 (I heard the Suite a few times over the years) - all masterpieces, surely..
I'm dating myself, but I know all these overtures. I'm a retired ice skating coach, and, back in the day, these were all popular to skate to. Lots of good tunes and excitement!
To me these overtures would be the natural and most logical way to start a concert! The entire point of an overture is to introduce the opera, so why not start a concert with one!
Just a quick word in favor of Thomas' Raymond Overture. But one must hear it in Bernstein's jawdropping recording!
Hérold isn't completely forgotten. He wrote the music for the ballet La fille mal gardée. The score which has since been reworked for Frederick Ashton's production, I think, by John Lanchbery. The ballet is still popular and in many ballet companies' repertoire.
I found an article by Heinrich Heine, in an anthology of writing on music, in which he describes the state of The Paris Opera around 1831. Prior to Dr. Veron becoming the director, "...most people went to the Opera out of habit... [Veron] had a stroke of genius by which he decided to satisfy people's lust for spectacle so completely that the music scarcely annoyed them at all...".
I couldn't agree more, concerts should include much more music that is actually easy to listen to. To be honest, the seasons of big orchestras focus much on "heavy music". The way you say "Ahh Bruckner" in your videos, kind of reflects this behavior in big orchestras for me. Kiril Petrenko, now that you mention him, has done both Capriccio Español and Italien, and Waxman Riders of the cossacks. But big orchestras, they focus too much on Brucker, Shostakovich and Mahler, displacing Overtures like this you mentioned or a lot of other music just because they consider it "not intellectual" or something. You should recommend recordings of light music. For example, my favorite Fra Diavolo is the one conducted by Paul Paray. And Semiramide, well I have to admit I love Karajan's because it has some beautiful touches with the bass drum. Great musical chat this video.
Overtures are an endangered species- here in New Zealand I note that the NZSO’s concerts this year include only two overtures.
"Light Cavalry", "Donna Diana", "The Hebrides", "The Wreckers" "and any of Sullivan's G&S overtures remain favourites.
Nice list David. Not sure how often it gets played, possibly more in America than elsewhere, but I've always enjoyed Barber's School for Scandal overture. The second subject is just so lovely.
I would add one of my favorites, Berlioz' Roman Carnival Overture. A hoot to play and listen to.
I have the utmost respect for composers who can master light music
Thankfully my “home” orchestra, the Alabama Symphony, still does some fun overtures in their concerts. They have a thing they do in May each year called “Symphony in the Park” where they do 3 concerts in a weekend for free to the general public to come sit and watch in a big park in Birmingham. Its a great way to get non-classical audiences to see a concert. The last time I went they did the Orpheus and the Underworld overture. It was such great fun!
Any discussion of overtures makes me leap to Carl Nielsen's opera Maskerade. But I guess like all of Nielsen, it was never in the mainstream repertoire?
Paul Paray is for me THE reference for playing that music
Three other ouvertures that I came across in compilations and heard a lot are Boieldieu's "La dame blanche", Strauss' "Die Fledermaus" and Flotow's "Martha". These along with "Donna Diana" that you mentioned were some of the musics I loved most when I was a boy.
I'm very much in agreement. There used to be a radio programme in the UK called Friday Night is Music Night which played a lot of this kind of music. As a kid, I would listen under the covers after lights out. It's how I first learnt to love the music of Donizetti, Offenbach, the Strausses, Zeller et al.
Love this one, Dave. Totally agree. These pieces are delightful.